Zapdrop

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Quick fixes for the usual snags. Still stuck? Email info@workaholicdevelopers.com and we will help.

The other device doesn't show up

  1. Open Zapdrop on both devices and keep it on screen while they look for each other.
  2. Check that both are on the same WiFi network. Some routers have separate names for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, or a separate guest network: join the same name on both.
  3. On iPhone, make sure Local Network is allowed for Zapdrop.
  4. Turn off VPN apps on both devices for a moment. Some VPNs hide the local network.
  5. Use QR pairing: on one device tap Show my QR, on the other tap Scan QR and point the camera at it. Both screens show the same 4-digit code. The QR code works once and expires after 5 minutes.

Guest, hotel, office, school and public WiFi networks often stop devices from seeing each other. QR pairing gets around that in many cases. If even QR pairing can't connect, the network keeps devices completely apart: use one phone's hotspot instead.

iPhone: allow Local Network

Zapdrop needs Local Network access to find and reach nearby devices. If you tapped Don't Allow when it asked:

  1. Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network. On recent versions of iOS, Settings > Apps > Zapdrop has the same switch.
  2. Switch on Zapdrop.
  3. Go back to Zapdrop. If nothing appears, close Zapdrop completely and open it again.

No WiFi? Use a hotspot

Zapdrop doesn't need the internet, only a network both devices share. One phone's hotspot works anywhere, and Zapdrop shows these steps under No WiFi? too.

Hotspot on iPhone

  1. Open Settings > Personal Hotspot.
  2. Turn on Allow Others to Join and note the WiFi password.
  3. Keep that screen open until the other device has joined.

No Personal Hotspot in Settings? Turn on mobile data first. Some mobile plans don't include it.

Hotspot on Android

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap Hotspot.
  2. Or open Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering. On Samsung phones it is Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering.
  3. Note the network name and password (long-press the Hotspot tile to see them).

Then, on the other device: open its WiFi settings, join the hotspot's network with the password, and open Zapdrop on both. The devices appear on the radar, or you can use QR pairing. A computer can join the hotspot too.

The transfer itself stays between the two devices and doesn't use mobile data. Other apps on the joined device may use the hotspot phone's internet while connected, so watch out for big background downloads.

The computer can't open the page

  1. Same network. The computer must be on the same WiFi as the phone, or plugged into the same router by cable. Guest networks and some office networks keep devices apart.
  2. Type the exact address. Type it into the browser's address bar, not a search box, exactly as the phone shows it, including http:// and the number after the colon, for example http://192.168.1.23:8899. Don't add www or change http to https.
  3. "Not secure" warning. The page uses plain HTTP on your own network. If your browser always upgrades to HTTPS (HTTPS-Only Mode in Firefox, "Always use secure connections" in Chrome), choose Continue to site.
  4. Mac asks about local network. On macOS 15 or later, allow your browser to find devices on local networks. If you chose Don't Allow, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and switch your browser on.
  5. VPN, firewall or security software. Disconnect the VPN on the computer, or turn on its option to allow local network access. Some antivirus web filters and company-managed computers block local addresses.
  6. Keep To computer open on the phone. The page stops after 10 minutes without activity (or the time you chose: 5, 10 or 30 minutes). Tap Start again for a new session.
  7. PIN not accepted. The PIN is the 6 digits shown on the phone. After 5 wrong tries the browser has to wait 30 seconds, and the wait grows with each further miss. After many wrong tries the phone makes a new PIN.

Public WiFi: the computer page is not encrypted, so on a café, hotel or airport network other people could in principle see what passes over it. Zapdrop warns you on public WiFi. For private files, use your own network or the phone's hotspot.

Step-by-step instructions: How to send files to a computer.

How fast is it?

Zapdrop goes as fast as your WiFi allows and sends several pieces at once to use all of it. On a good 5 GHz or WiFi 6 network, big files often move at tens of megabytes per second. On 2.4 GHz, or with a busy or distant router, expect a few megabytes per second.

  • Stay close to the router, or use a phone hotspot: the data then takes one hop instead of two.
  • Use the 5 GHz network if your router has one.
  • Keep both screens on for big transfers, and plug in if the battery is low. Settings > Keep the screen on during transfers helps.
  • Pause other big downloads, streams or backups on the same network.

Where received files go

DeviceFilesPhotos and videos
iPhoneFiles app > On My iPhone > ZapdropThe same folder, and your Photos library if you choose to save them there
AndroidDownload/ZapdropPictures/Zapdrop and Movies/Zapdrop, shown in your gallery
ComputerYour browser's download folder (usually Downloads)

Everything you receive also appears in Zapdrop's Inbox, where you can open, share or delete it. Contacts and text arrive there too: tap Add to contacts or Copy.

If a transfer stops

If the WiFi drops or a device goes to sleep, Zapdrop keeps trying and carries on from where it stopped as soon as both devices are back on the same network. Only the missing parts are sent again. If it can't reconnect, the transfer waits in History with a Resume button.

Every file is checked with SHA-256 when it arrives, so a resumed file is identical to the original. On iPhone, keep Zapdrop open during long transfers: iOS only lets apps keep working for a short time in the background.

Permissions

Zapdrop asks for each permission only when you use the feature that needs it. To change one later, open Settings > Apps > Zapdrop on iPhone, or Settings > Apps > Zapdrop > Permissions on Android. The privacy policy explains each one.

Email us

Write to info@workaholicdevelopers.com. Tell us the two devices and their system versions, what you were sending, and what you saw. Please don't attach private files.

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