LocalSend APK Download v for Android
| Developer | LocalSend |
| Updated | August 2026 |
| Size | 44 MB |
| Version | 1.18.2 |
| Requirements | Android 7.0 and up |
Description
A localsend apk download gives you one of the smartest utilities on Android: a free, open-source file-sharing app that works like AirDrop — but across every platform you own. LocalSend sends photos, videos, documents and entire folders to nearby devices over your own Wi-Fi network, with no internet connection, no account, no sign-up and no file-size limits. Your files are encrypted in transit, they never pass through any cloud server, and the app runs on Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS and Linux. Whether you want to move vacation photos from your phone to your laptop, share a 4K video with a friend sitting next to you, or beam documents to a tablet in seconds, LocalSend does it at full local-network speed — completely free, with no ads and no tracking.
In this guide you will find everything about LocalSend for Android: what makes it different from Google’s Quick Share and ad-riddled alternatives, every key feature explained, an honest comparison, the official download button, a three-step installation walkthrough, practical tips, and answers to the questions people ask most.
App Info
| App Name | LocalSend |
| Status | Active & Updated |
| Version | 1.18.2 |
| Size | 44 MB (arm64 APK) |
| Developer | LocalSend |
| Category | Tools |
| License | Free & Open Source (MIT) |
| Rating Average | Not published (not on Google Play — open-source project) |
| Number of Votes | N/A |
| Downloads | N/A (distributed via F-Droid and GitHub) |
| Requires | Android 7.0 and up |
| Updated | August 2026 |
What Makes LocalSend Different
Sharing a file between two devices should be the simplest thing in the world, yet it usually is not. You upload to Google Drive and wait, you email yourself, you dig out a USB cable, or you install some ad-stuffed “file transfer” app that demands your contacts and a new account. LocalSend removes the entire circus. It talks directly to other devices on your local network using a small built-in server inside the app — no middleman, no cloud, no upload-then-download dance.
The standout idea is universality. AirDrop is wonderful, but only if everyone you know owns Apple hardware. Google’s Quick Share mostly covers Android and Windows. LocalSend is genuinely cross-platform: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux all run the same protocol, so a Linux laptop, an iPhone and an Android phone can all exchange files in the same session. In a mixed-device household or office, that alone makes it the obvious pick.
Privacy is the other pillar. Nothing you send leaves your local network, so there is no server log, no company policy update, and no “we use your data to improve our services” fine print. Transfers are protected with TLS encryption, meaning even someone snooping on the same Wi-Fi cannot read your files. And because the source code is open under the MIT license, anyone can verify these claims — they are not marketing promises, they are auditable facts.
Finally, it is a one-time install that just works. No accounts to create, no phone numbers to verify, no subscriptions, and no ads interrupting a transfer. You open the app, pick files, pick the device, and press send. Devices discover each other automatically on the network, and if you are not on Wi-Fi, LocalSend can even spin up its own hotspot so transfers still work.
Key Features Explained
1. Cross-Platform Sharing That Actually Covers Everything
LocalSend runs on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux, and every combination can talk to every other. Send a video from your Android phone to a friend’s iPhone, push documents from your Windows PC to your tablet, or copy photos from your Linux laptop to a Mac. The app even has a web interface mode, so a device without the app installed can still receive files through a browser. In practice, this kills the “which app do you have installed?” problem — one app, five platforms, zero friction.
2. No Internet Required — Your Wi-Fi Is Enough
Transfers travel over your local network, never touching the internet. That means three things: speed is limited only by your router, it works in places with terrible or no connectivity (a basement, a plane with hotspot off, a remote village), and your mobile data stays untouched. A 2 GB video that would take an hour to upload to the cloud and download again moves in minutes over a decent Wi-Fi connection. LocalSend can also create its own Wi-Fi hotspot on the sending device if no network exists at all.
3. Encrypted Transfers by Default
Every transfer is wrapped in TLS encryption — the same technology that protects your banking sessions. Devices exchange cryptographic fingerprints on first connection, so you can verify you are sending to the right machine and not an impostor. On shared networks like cafés or offices, this matters: without encryption, anyone on the same Wi-Fi could intercept your files. LocalSend’s security model is simple enough that it needs no configuration, yet strong enough to trust with sensitive documents.
4. No File-Size Limits and Full-Folder Sends
Cloud services cap attachments at 25 MB and free tiers throttle big uploads. LocalSend has no size ceiling whatsoever — send a single photo or a 10 GB project archive with equal ease. You can also send entire folders, which arrive on the other device with their structure intact. For photographers moving RAW shoots, videographers offloading 4K footage, or developers shipping builds between machines, this is the feature that ends the ritual of splitting archives.
5. Automatic Device Discovery
Open the app on two devices connected to the same network and they simply appear in each other’s device list — no pairing codes, no Bluetooth dance, no QR scanning. Discovery uses multicast DNS, the same proven technology behind Chromecast and printers. If a device does not show up, you can add it manually by entering its IP address, which covers networks where multicast is blocked (common on corporate or university Wi-Fi). Either way, the receiving device approves each incoming transfer, so nothing arrives uninvited.
6. Send Any File Type — Photos, Videos, Text and More
LocalSend is not a photo-only tool. It handles files, folders, text snippets and even clipboard content. Copy a link or a chunk of text on your phone and paste it straight into your computer. Send an APK installer from your phone to a friend’s phone, share a ZIP of documents, or move a music album. The receiving side sorts things sensibly — photos and videos land in your gallery, other files in Downloads — and you can change the destination folder in settings.
7. No Account, No Ads, No Tracking — Open Source
The app asks for nothing in return. There is no login screen, no email verification, no premium tier hiding “pro” features, and no banner ads competing with the interface. The entire codebase is published under the MIT license, one of the most permissive open-source licenses in existence. Independent developers have reviewed the protocol, and the project maintains a detailed security design document explaining exactly how encryption and discovery work. When an app’s business model is “there isn’t one,” the privacy claims are easy to believe.
8. Quick Save, Auto-Accept and Custom Device Names
For your own trusted devices, you can enable Quick Save, which auto-accepts incoming transfers — point your phone at your laptop and files land in the destination folder with zero taps. Give each device a recognizable alias (like “Ahmad’s Laptop” or “Office PC”) so you never send to the wrong machine, and mark favorites so they sit at the top of the list. Small touches, but they turn a good utility into a daily habit.
LocalSend vs the Alternatives
Google’s Quick Share (formerly Nearby Share) is built into Android and fine for Android-to-Android and Android-to-Windows transfers, but it is a Google service: it ties into your Google account, is not open source, and does not reach iPhones, Macs or Linux. If your world is Android-only, it is convenient — if anyone you share with uses Apple or Linux, it hits a wall. LocalSend goes everywhere without asking for your identity.
Apps like SHAREit and Xender promise cross-platform sharing too, but the price is steep: aggressive advertising, constant upsell pop-ups, background processes that drain battery, and privacy policies that treat your data as inventory. They also require the same app on both ends while offering none of LocalSend’s transparency. When an app is free but the company is clearly selling something, what they are selling is usually you.
Web-based tools like Snapdrop or Wormhole avoid installs, but they route your files through someone’s server (or at best a relay) and depend on an internet connection. Syncthing — which we covered earlier on trendpkr — is the gold standard for keeping folders continuously synchronized between devices, but it is synchronization, not quick one-off sharing: it needs setup, device pairing and folder configuration. LocalSend is the opposite of that: open, tap, send, done. Different jobs, both excellent at theirs.
Honestly, LocalSend is not perfect. Discovery can stumble on restrictive corporate networks (the manual IP fallback solves it, but it is an extra step), and it cannot reach devices across the internet — it is strictly a same-network tool, unlike cloud drives. But for what it claims to do — fast, private, free file sharing between nearby devices — there is nothing that matches it. It is the rare app that does one thing and does it better than everyone.
Download LocalSend for Android
Grab the official build from the LocalSend team. The download page lists Android APKs for each architecture — most modern phones need the arm64 (aarch64) build. The app is also on F-Droid if you prefer installing through the open-source store.
How to Install the APK
Step 1 — Download the APK. Tap the download button above to open localsend.org/download, then pick the Android APK matching your device architecture (arm64 for most modern phones). The file is about 44 MB.
Step 2 — Allow installs from your browser. When Android asks, permit your browser to install unknown apps (Settings → Apps → your browser → Install unknown apps). This is a one-time permission.
Step 3 — Install and open. Tap the downloaded file, confirm the install, then open LocalSend and give it a device name. That is the entire setup — devices on your Wi-Fi running LocalSend will appear automatically, and you can start sending right away.
Tips and Tricks
Turn on Quick Save for your own devices so transfers between your phone and laptop need no taps at all — files land in your chosen folder automatically. If a device will not appear, add it manually via its IP address (find it in the app’s settings or your router). Use the text/clipboard send for moving links and passwords from phone to computer instead of retyping them. And if you frequently send to the same people, star them as favorites so they always sit at the top of the device list.
LocalSend APK Download FAQs
Yes, LocalSend is completely free with no catch. The app is open source under the MIT license, developed by volunteers, with no premium tier, no ads, and no feature paywalls. Every feature — encrypted transfers, folder sends, cross-platform support — is available to everyone. There is no account to create and no company monetizing your usage, because your files never leave your local network.
No. LocalSend works entirely over your local Wi-Fi network, and files travel directly from device to device — never through the internet. It even works with no router at all: the app can create its own Wi-Fi hotspot so two phones can exchange files in a place with zero connectivity. This also means transfers do not consume your mobile data.
LocalSend is one of the safest ways to move files. Every transfer is encrypted with TLS, and devices verify each other with cryptographic fingerprints on first connection, so a snooper on the same Wi-Fi cannot read your files. Because nothing passes through a cloud server, there is no central copy of your data to leak or subpoena. The code is open source, so the security design is publicly auditable — not just a marketing claim.
Yes — that is its biggest strength. LocalSend runs on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux, and every platform can send to every other. An Android phone can send to an iPhone, a Windows PC can send to a Linux laptop, and a Mac can send to an Android tablet, all in the same session. There is even a web mode so a device without the app can receive files through a browser.
Discovery uses multicast, which some routers, guest networks, VPNs, or corporate firewalls block. First, make sure both devices are on the same network and the VPN is off. If they still do not appear, add the device manually: in the receiver’s LocalSend app, check its IP address in settings, then enter that IP in the sender’s app. Also confirm your router is not isolating clients (some guest networks do this). Once added manually, transfers work normally.
Most modern Android phones use the arm64 (aarch64) build — that is the one linked on the official download page. Older or budget phones may need the arm (armeabi-v7a) build, and a few devices use x86_64. The file is about 44 MB. If you are unsure, the arm64 build works on the vast majority of phones sold in the last five years, and the app will refuse to install a wrong-architecture APK without harming anything.
Final Verdict
LocalSend is the file-sharing app every Android user should have installed: free, open source, encrypted, unlimited, and happy to talk to every device you own. It replaces cloud uploads, USB cables and ad-infested transfer apps with one tap-and-send workflow that respects your privacy by design. If you have ever waited on a cloud upload just to move a file across the room, this is the fix. Download the LocalSend APK from the official link above and never email yourself a file again.
