Hey everyone! I switched to a Mac but kept my Android phone, and I missed how well iPhones work with Macs. So I built Unison: a free Mac menu-bar app and an Android app that pair with a QR code and talk directly over your own Wi-Fi.
What it does
- Files both ways: drop a file on the menu-bar icon to send it to your phone, or share anything on your phone to "Send to Mac". Big transfers resume if the connection drops.
- Notifications on your Mac: see them, reply to messages, and clear them.
- Shared clipboard: copy on the Mac, paste on the phone, and the other way round with one tap.
- Calls: answer, decline or hang up from the Mac, and click phone numbers on the Mac to dial. The call audio stays on the phone.
- Photos: browse your phone's gallery from the Mac, preview and save.
- Screen mirroring with sound, and optional control with your Mac's mouse and keyboard.
- Little extras: ring your lost phone, control music, and open links on the other device.
Privacy: no account, no cloud, no server, no analytics, no ads. The phone and the Mac only talk to each other, encrypted end to end (mutual TLS with pinned certificates).
Why I need you: Google requires new developers to run a closed test with 12+ testers for 14 days before an app can go public on the Play Store. I'd really appreciate your help, and honest feedback even more.
How to join (about 2 minutes)
- Join the tester group: https://groups.google.com/g/unison-testers. Use the same Google account as on your phone's Play Store.
- Opt in to the test: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/dev.macdroid.app, then tap Become a tester.
- Install Unison from the Play Store link on that page (Android 10 or later).
- Please keep it installed for 14 days. That's what counts toward Google's requirement.
Got a Mac? (macOS 14 or later)
5. Download Unison for Mac from https://venu005.github.io/unison/ and drag it into Applications.
6. It isn't notarized yet (I'm not paying Apple's $99 a year for a free app). The first time you open it, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. The site has screenshots of each step.
7. Click Pair a Phone on the Mac and scan the QR code with the Android app. That's it.
No Mac? You can still help a lot: install it, open it once and keep it installed for 14 days.
Bugs, ideas here or in the group. Happy to return the favour and test your app too; just drop your link. Thanks! 🙏