I beseech you, Tech Genius: How do I transfer photos from android phone to Macbook?

[Lady Penelope]

Please help!
Photos on my android Samsung Galaxy 7 need to be transfer to my Macbook.
Bluetooth won't recognise my phone device on the laptop.
I have tried USB directly from phone to computer but it still won't recognise the phone.
There are a few free android/computer apps that I have looked at but they all have negative reviews. E.G. HandShake

In the past, I have had no trouble using USB or bluetooth file transfer from phone to computer however, the laptop was replaced 12 months ago and my phone 6 months ago. So both devices are relatively new and have not been previously 'tethered' or what have you.

Am I missing a setting? Does a setting need to be checked/un-checked?

Side question:
Is there a file/gallery storage option that photos can be saved to on the phone that can then be accessed on a computer?

Any suggestions and feedback is much appreciated. Good vibes will be sent for all replies and I'm sure the universe will grant your every wish.

 

[Keigan]

As I google the situation described, looks like Android File Transfer needs to be installed on the MacBook to support connection across a USB cable.

 

[Lady Penelope]

Thank you!
I've done that and turned both off and on again but still radio silence... reckon i should book in a time with an apple store tech?

 

[xudo]

Thank you!
I've done that and turned both off and on again but still radio silence... reckon i should book in a time with an apple store tech?

My Mum went and used the "Genius bar" at our Apple store once. They treated her like she was an imbecile. Yes, she's not the most tech savvy person but they were a***holes. I arrived part way through her appointment and the guy couldn't even solve the issue she had with her phone, and in the end I realised what the issue was and fixed it for her. The Apple guy didn't look impressed

Personally I use Google Drive to access pictures from my PC that I want to get from my android phone. I know I could plug it in, but I'm lazy. There's also Dropbox which does the same thing and with any of these you get so much free storage. I assume one of those will work with a MacBook (I realise that they're basically cloud storage and should be accessible from anywhere you can get internet...but Apple aren't exactly happy usually with people not using their proprietary whatever.)

 

[Keigan]

something you might research - On my camera, I had to change the default file format so that Apple could recognize the pictures and support the transfer.

 

[Lady Penelope]

something you might research - On my camera, I had to change the default file format so that Apple could recognize the pictures and support the transfer.

Interesting. I'll look into how i do that. Thank you.

 

[Buzzerfly]

Don't know how many photos you've got, and I am not a tech genius but could you just email them all to yourself then just easy open/save them on the Mac?

 

[Questella]

when you plug it into the the usb, pull the menu down that has the notifications on it. There might be a thing that says, "plugged in charging," see if you can click on it and change it to "plugged in, file transfer." It took me ages to figure this out and actually remember to do it, its the stupidest little setting and most all of the help I was googling I guess just assumed I would already know to check this setting but I had no idea.

 

[Lady Penelope]

Don't know how many photos you've got, and I am not a tech genius but could you just email them all to yourself then just easy open/save them on the Mac?

Thanks, that's what i have been doing but it is not practical going forward in my current project. Max file size is 2 or 3 pics per email.

 

[Lady Penelope]

when you plug it into the the usb, pull the menu down that has the notifications on it. There might be a thing that says, "plugged in charging," see if you can click on it and change it to "plugged in, file transfer." It took me ages to figure this out and actually remember to do it, its the stupidest little setting and most all of the help I was googling I guess just assumed I would already know to check this setting but I had no idea.

Thanks, it took me awhile to find that too but having selected it the damn thing still won't connect! It's just so frustrating....

 

[the_tortoise]

I am absolutely not a tech genius, but what worked for me was this:

1. Go to Google's Android Studio page here: https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html

Scroll down the page to where it says "Get just the command line tools" and select the command line tools for Mac to download them.

You do this to get a program called "adb", which is part of the android studio sdk and stands for "android debug bridge". You can use this program to copy files from your phone to your computer, or from your computer to your phone.

2. Go into your downloads folder and unzip the android studio command line tools file. If I remember correctly it will create a folder directly in your Downloads called something like "android sdk". In a sub-folder (or possibly a sub-sub-folder) somewhere inside the android sdk folder there will be an executable file called "adb". (I'm sorry I can't tell you more specifically what the folder names are....my Mac died a while back and I'm currently using an old PC ....the subfolder in the /Downloads/[android sdk] folder might be called "platform tools" or something similar. If I've remembered this completely wrong then there will be an install process you have to follow first/instead.... and it might be different anyways if you have a different version of the OS than I was using, which you probably do because I never updated to Sierra.....but there will be a way for you to download and install the android sdk command line tools, even if I can't tell you off-hand what it is and would have to look it up.)

3. Open a Terminal window (if you aren't already doing all the unzipping and stuff in a Terminal window) and navigate to your Downloads folder, then to the unzipped android sdk tools folder, then to the subfolder that contains adb. (To navigate to your Downloads folder just type in "Downloads" and hit enter -- if that doesn't work then type in "~/Downloads". Then to navigate to the android sdk tools folder type in its name, and so on with folder names until you're in the folder that contains the adb executable. Or note the entire pathname while you're in Finder and type that in instead.)

4. Turn on developer options on your phone. (Go to "about phone" in the settings menu. Within "about phone" go to "build version" and tap it 7 times.) You need developer options turned on to be able to use adb.

5. Navigate back to the main settings menu on your phone, then go into the new "developer options" and turn on "allow USB debugging".

6. Find the location (file pathname) of the photos on your phone. You can use the Terminal program on your phone (which you turn on by going into "developer options" again and turning on "local terminal"), or possibly the File Manager. A google search of your phone's model and words/phrases like "photos"+"storage" or "photos stored in" might help you find it if you have trouble -- but make sure you double-check that whatever you find on the internet actually applies to your phone. It may be helpful to write down the pathname once you find it.

7. Plug your phone into your computer. In the Terminal window on your computer (where you should still be in the folder with adb in it), type "./adb devices" and hit enter.

It should list your phone (and only your phone, unless you've got multiple android phones plugged into your computer for some reason), probably as a device ID number, but if it doesn't then check your phone to see if a dialogue window has come up asking you whether or not you want to allow USB debugging -- Select the "yes" option, and then try typing "./adb devices" into your computer's Terminal window again.

Once "./adb devices" lists your phone:

7. In your computer's Terminal window, type in "./adb pull [location of the photos on your phone, e.g. "/sdcard/camera" or whatever it happens to actually be on your phone] [location where you want to put the photos on your computer, e.g. "/Users/username/Documents/Photos" or whatever it happens to be]" and hit enter.

Your photos should be copied to your computer in the location you specified. (The whole folder of all your photos will be copied.)

If my instructions suck massively or don't work, there is also documentation for adb on the Android Studio website: https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/adb.html#howadbworks

You can probably also find youtube videos of how to do this by doing a google search for your phone's model number, "adb" and keywords like "file transfer" or "transfer photos".

 

[Lady Penelope]

I am absolutely not a tech genius, but what worked for me was this:

1. Go to Google's Android Studio page here: https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html

Scroll down the page to where it says "Get just the command line tools" and select the command line tools for Mac to download them.

You do this to get a program called "adb", which is part of the android studio sdk and stands for "android debug bridge". You can use this program to copy files from your phone to your computer, or from your computer to your phone.

2. Go into your downloads folder and unzip the android studio command line tools file. If I remember correctly it will create a folder directly in your Downloads called something like "android sdk". In a sub-folder (or possibly a sub-sub-folder) somewhere inside the android sdk folder there will be an executable file called "adb". (I'm sorry I can't tell you more specifically what the folder names are....my Mac died a while back and I'm currently using an old PC ....the subfolder in the /Downloads/[android sdk] folder might be called "platform tools" or something similar. If I've remembered this completely wrong then there will be an install process you have to follow first/instead.... and it might be different anyways if you have a different version of the OS than I was using, which you probably do because I never updated to Sierra.....but there will be a way for you to download and install the android sdk command line tools, even if I can't tell you off-hand what it is and would have to look it up.)

3. Open a Terminal window (if you aren't already doing all the unzipping and stuff in a Terminal window) and navigate to your Downloads folder, then to the unzipped android sdk tools folder, then to the subfolder that contains adb. (To navigate to your Downloads folder just type in "Downloads" and hit enter -- if that doesn't work then type in "~/Downloads". Then to navigate to the android sdk tools folder type in its name, and so on with folder names until you're in the folder that contains the adb executable. Or note the entire pathname while you're in Finder and type that in instead.)

4. Turn on developer options on your phone. (Go to "about phone" in the settings menu. Within "about phone" go to "build version" and tap it 7 times.) You need developer options turned on to be able to use adb.

5. Navigate back to the main settings menu on your phone, then go into the new "developer options" and turn on "allow USB debugging".

6. Find the location (file pathname) of the photos on your phone. You can use the Terminal program on your phone (which you turn on by going into "developer options" again and turning on "local terminal"), or possibly the File Manager. A google search of your phone's model and words/phrases like "photos"+"storage" or "photos stored in" might help you find it if you have trouble -- but make sure you double-check that whatever you find on the internet actually applies to your phone. It may be helpful to write down the pathname once you find it.

7. Plug your phone into your computer. In the Terminal window on your computer (where you should still be in the folder with adb in it), type "./adb devices" and hit enter.

It should list your phone (and only your phone, unless you've got multiple android phones plugged into your computer for some reason), probably as a device ID number, but if it doesn't then check your phone to see if a dialogue window has come up asking you whether or not you want to allow USB debugging -- Select the "yes" option, and then try typing "./adb devices" into your computer's Terminal window again.

Once "./adb devices" lists your phone:

7. In your computer's Terminal window, type in "./adb pull [location of the photos on your phone, e.g. "/sdcard/camera" or whatever it happens to actually be on your phone] [location where you want to put the photos on your computer, e.g. "/Users/username/Documents/Photos" or whatever it happens to be]" and hit enter.

Your photos should be copied to your computer in the location you specified. (The whole folder of all your photos will be copied.)

If my instructions suck massively or don't work, there is also documentation for adb on the Android Studio website: https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/adb.html#howadbworks

You can probably also find youtube videos of how to do this by doing a google search for your phone's model number, "adb" and keywords like "file transfer" or "transfer photos".

Thank you! I'm going to try this step by step.
If there was a "love " rating or "hug" rating I'd click it for you.

I knew i could count on you guys!!!!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxcxxxxxxxx

 

[the_tortoise]

You're welcome, hope it works for you!

 

[Lady Penelope]

You're welcome, hope it works for you!

BALLS! I got stuck.
Managed to unlock the 'developer options' and 'build version' and 'allow USB debugging' on the phone with no hassle but downloading 'Mac tools' from 'command line' on "developer.android" opened a zip folder called 'tools'. There is nothing in any on the sub-folders contained therein to click and download or open or install anything. Nothing about 'adb' at all. Nothing 'executable'.

On the Mac, cannot use 'terminal' window (which is located under Finder > Utilities on my Mac) to locate anything to do with photos or storage or my phone. On the phone, 'Developer Options' does not have a section to select 'local terminal' either...

I have re-started both Mac and phone multiple times and re-plugged in phone USB cable to Mac but Android File Transfer keeps popping up with "could not connect to device" and phone says "connected device is unable to access data on this device" says to download Android File Transfer (which I have) or Samsung Smart Switch (which is for Samsung phone to phone not to Mac).

I have changed how phone photos are saved on device from 'internal storage' to 'SD card' and will see if I can remove the SD card and plug it into the computer directly. I'm worried it will get corrupted somehow and I will lose the photos...

I'm starting to seriously stress here...
Can anyone help me, please?

 

[Questella]

I'm sorry it's giving you such a nightmare! Technology can be really balls sometimes! :<

Maybe you could go to like a Best Buy or your phone providers store and ask them about it? Possibly they could give you some insight, while actually looking at the device?

 

[the_tortoise]

There is nothing in any on the sub-folders contained therein to click and download or open or install anything. Nothing about 'adb' at all. Nothing 'executable'.

Hmmm....does it have anything called a "makefile" or anything with the suffix .mk? Makefiles would indicate the need to build programs from source code....would indicate that all you have is source code.

Any files called README? Sometimes those will contain build instructions or other helpful information..... but if there are no binary (executable) files anywhere in the folders and you have to build the programs/apps, you would need to download Xcode (if you chose to try that route, I could only help you with that if you were to download the command line tools -- which, when I did it some years back, required opening a developer account with Apple -- because I have no idea how to use the GUI-based Xcode IDE....I assume it contains all the same build tools, though).

Have you tried looking in those folders in the Terminal instead of in the Finder? Sometimes the settings are such that some things are hidden in Finder but not on the command line in the Terminal.

On the phone, 'Developer Options' does not have a section to select 'local terminal' either...

That is frustrating! I recently read that different phone manufacturers sometimes limit/change what is available in the developer options

I have changed how phone photos are saved on device from 'internal storage' to 'SD card' and will see if I can remove the SD card and plug it into the computer directly. I'm worried it will get corrupted somehow and I will lose the photos...

Have you seen the USB sticks that have a regular USB connecter and a micro-USB connector for smartphones? I think their intended purpose is specifically to transfer media from smartphones to computers so maybe one of those would help, if you could copy the photos onto it using the File Manager on your phone (assuming you have a File Manager program)?

 

[Mr Allen]

On my Nexus 6 Android phone, any new photos I take are automatically stored in Google Photos on my Google Drive on my Chromebook, I suspect the same thing applies to a Mac, if you have a Google account.

Hope that's helpful.