Getting started
Install Droplet Drop on both devices, and connect them to the same network: the same Wi‑Fi router, or one phone’s hotspot. You don’t need the internet.
- To send: tap Send, choose files, photos or a folder, then the destination device. You can pick several at once.
- To receive: keep Droplet Drop open. An offer appears with the sender’s name, what they’re sending and their device code; accept or decline.
- Where files arrive: on a computer, in Downloads › Droplet Drop. On a phone, in the app’s folder; open or share them from History. You can change the folder in Settings.
The name others see you as can be changed in Settings › Device name.
A device doesn’t show up
Droplet Drop finds nearby devices on its own, as long as they have the app open and are on the same network. If one doesn’t show up:
- Scan its code: on the receiving device, open Receive; on the sending one, tap “Not in the list?”, then Scan their code. The code holds the device’s address and identity.
- Or type its address, shown on the same Receive screen (for example 192.168.1.12:47321).
- Hotel, office or guest networks often stop devices from talking to each other. One phone’s hotspot almost always solves it.
- Windows: the first time you open it, allow Droplet Drop on private networks. If you declined, restore it in Windows Firewall › Allow an app.
- Mac: if macOS asks whether to accept incoming connections for Droplet Drop, accept.
Group Drop
Group Drop distributes one transfer to many devices: a class, a meeting, an event.
- Create: Group Drop › Create a distribution. Choose the files and how long the invitation lasts (30 minutes, 2 hours or 8 hours).
- Let people join: show the code on screen, or share the invitation link. Everyone opens Group Drop › Join a distribution, then scans the code or pastes the link.
- Start: when everyone is in, tap Start. The board follows each device: progress, speed, time left.
Once the chosen time is up, no one else can join; those who started will finish. A device that disconnects picks up where it was as soon as it’s back.
Interruptions and resuming
A dropout loses nothing. What already arrived is kept, block by block; as long as the last progress was less than ten minutes ago, Droplet Drop retries on its own. After that, tap Resume once both devices are back on the same network.
You can also pause a transfer, then resume it. Cancel stops it for good, and deletes what the recipient had received.
Pieces waiting to be completed are kept in a hidden folder, .droplet-drop, inside the receiving folder. They disappear when the transfer finishes or is cancelled.
Accept without confirming
By default, every transfer is offered to you, and an offer with no answer expires after two minutes.
For your own devices, tick “Always accept from this device” when you accept: their transfers will then come straight in. The list is in Settings › Trusted devices, where you can remove any at any time.
History
History lists your transfers, sent and received, with their device and date. It stays on your device, nowhere else.
Clearing history doesn’t delete received files: only the list goes away.
Contact us
Write to us at contact@dropletmesh.app. Tell us which devices you use (Android, Windows, Mac, Linux) and what message appears: we answer faster when we can reproduce the problem.
To report a security vulnerability, see the Security page.