Transferring Files Between Android Devices and PCs

1. Introduction to File Transfer Between Android Devices and PCs

The present study attempts to address such deficiencies. The first aim of this study is to categorize and explain the different methods used for transferring files between Android devices and PCs. In the study, the methods used to transfer files between Android devices and PCs are divided into ten categories, specifically using a USB cable for Android to PC file transfer; using a USB cable for PC to Android; Bluetooth file transfer; e-mail file transfer; Android Application file transfer; cyberlocker file transfer; local network; cloud computing; and automatic file transfer. The second aim is to compare the ten methods proposed for file transfer using ten evaluative criteria, including platform compatibility; file transfer speed; file size; file transfer quantity; power usage; file organization; file type; user friendliness; user privacy; and file transfer cost. Finally, a list of best practice recommendations for data transfer and reception is suggested based on a comprehensive evaluation of the ten file transfer methods.

With the increasing adoption of the Android platform, users are increasingly in need of simple, yet efficient, file transfer methods between Android devices and personal computers (PCs). Currently, a few methods have emerged to address this need. Given the increase in file sizes and the complexity of file types, today's users need optimized approaches to cope with the problems they encounter regarding file transfer. Previously, several review articles have reported on data management for mobile devices, but none have explicitly addressed Android file transfer methods. Meanwhile, the transfer of multiple image files appears to be the most common use of the file transfer method. In spite of the large number of images shared via mobile phones, only a few articles have reviewed these data transfer concepts.

2. Wired Methods of File Transfer

The basic levels of transfer include wired, local wireless, and Internet. Each of these has, in fact, many different ways it can be achieved. The most common of the wired transfers involve Bluetooth and USB, with Bluetooth limited to wireless transfer between devices with support for the technology. Wireless transfers of Internet origin are initiated from the device. A file uploaded by using this capability is sent to the server that hosts the service that performed the upload. In that circumstance, the Internet origin of the file is lost, but the file can then be shared by hyperlink or may be curated to other content that is, in turn, shared. When a transfer is achieved by downloading a file, the file is either pushed from the server to the device or is pulled from the server by the device. In the latter case, the file can be requested by the device specifically (i.e., requested via the URL of the file), or by performing a search query.

Though most home desktops don't have Bluetooth capability, this doesn't mean that they can't take advantage of Bluetooth file transfer capability. USB dongles are widely available that provide just such capability, offered at a relatively low cost. There is also a caveat that limits the scope of what Bluetooth file transfer can actually achieve, in spite of the fact that Bluetooth is not used for connection to a specific device and so allows many devices to talk to each other. Nevertheless, Bluetooth remains a useful way to transfer data between Android devices and desktops. It has come to be supported in new desktops so that fewer and fewer desktops will require this extra dongle. These are the main ways of transferring files between Android and a desktop to be discussed in this report. There are also some others, but this list represents the most prominent and most common that are used with the majority of users. The methods that follow are discussed further in the next two chapters. The first chapters steps are to make the Android device visible to the PC, and to perform a brief analysis of the above-listed methods.

3. Wireless Methods of File Transfer

3.1. Bluetooth Use the Bluetooth function to quickly exchange files with other devices. See your device's user guide on how to use Bluetooth. Bluetooth connections can be used for transferring files between a PC and an Android device provided that both devices are Bluetooth-enabled and support FTP (File Transfer Profile) or OPP (Object Push). On your Android device, you can use Android Bluetooth File Transfer. In this application, all received files will be saved under the Bluetooth folder in the internal memory of your device. On Windows-based PCs, the Bluetooth file transfer function can be easily used. When Bluetooth is enabled on both PC and Android devices, your PC will recognize your Android device and you can begin the file transfer process.

To exchange files between an Android device and your PC, you can use a wireless method: Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi or the local network can be used to transfer files using third-party applications.

4. Best Practices for Secure and Efficient File Transfer

When both devices have established a service discovery connection by DNS Service Discovery using IP-multicast or IP-unicast IP networking configurations, the Android device allows the user to select and display the media type against the device name in a list. The most common media types are stored in the custom text records of each Android machine so that only services that contain one or more types have a relevant list displayed, as is shown below. After the user has chosen a service, the chosen device sends the PC the URL reference of the RFC3927 link-local address with the HTTP server. This can be done by using the Bonjour DNS-SD interface by calling the browse and resolve functions with the media type string or by exploring the host file in the moment that a discovery query is made. This information can then be located and sent in a standard fashion after the HTTP server has responded.

One of the biggest barriers to enabling secure file transfers from a PC to an Android device is the ability to create a secure synchronization link. Although the capabilities of the JmDNS library have been extended to listen to and respond to link-local and unicast DNS Service Discovery (DNS-SD) protocol service requests, the research area of encrypting these types of service requests still needs further consideration. As was described earlier in this paper, as well as providing the ability to discover services attached to one or more wireless or wired local area networks, it is important that all services are advertised and retrieved through publishing and contacting only services of trustable entities, as was outlined in Figure 12. Peer device trust should be the only consideration from the security perspective and other forms of trust configuration relaxation should be disregarded.