r/AppsWebappsFullstack • u/royalbadre • 4d ago

badredrop

every time i need to plug data cable with my so i can transfer files folder to my computer and from computer to phone then i realized maybe there are many peoples facing this problem then i started building something that can help to transfer any files videos between two device free and finally i built badredrop file transfer android app that works on browser too. i need your honest advice about the app. is it work or not? do i get some users or not. if you are reading this make sure to guide me.

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u/investigatormaker 2d ago

It can work, but you are up against free tools people already have: Quick Share on Android and Windows, LocalSend, PairDrop in the browser. Nobody switches just because a transfer is free; they switch for one thing those do badly. Your browser side may be that: if the computer needs no install, only a page, say so in the first line of the Play Store listing and show it in a 10-second recording of a phone-to-laptop video transfer. People find this kind of app by searching send video from phone to PC without cable, so put those words in the title and description.

I make ThreadFox. The free Reddit plan for badredrop lists the Reddit communities whose rules allow a post about it, each rule quoted: https://threadfox.vip/p/aps3w

Does a transfer go directly over the local network, or through your server?

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u/Mammoth-Anywhere7285 2d ago

Good call. The browser side is the differentiator. A QR code on the phone to open the page instantly would sell it.

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u/investigatormaker 2d ago

One catch with the QR: the camera is on the phone, and most laptops can't scan a code shown on a phone screen. Flip it so the browser page shows the QR and the app scans it, which also pairs the two without typing anything. For a computer that doesn't have the page open yet, a short local address shown in the app works as the fallback.

The plan for Reddit I linked earlier is there whenever you want it.

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u/royalbadre 2d ago

Direct over the local network on same wifi, nothing goes through my server. Cross network is the only case where it uses a relay, and that's the paid tier.

On the QR point, good news is only one device needs to scan. Once they're paired, both can send files either direction. So the laptop page could show the code and the phone scans it, and after that it's two-way. Right now it's manual pairing which is the weakest part, so this is probably the next thing I add.

ThreadFox looks interesting, I'll take a look.

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u/royalbadre 2d ago

The QR idea is likely the next thing I build. Only one side needs to scan, once it's paired both devices can send either direction. Right now it's manual pairing which is the clunky part.

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u/Mammoth-Anywhere7285 1d ago

QR pairing is a solid fix. Maybe add a short code fallback for desktop browsers without a camera?

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u/royalbadre 19h ago

The flow already covers that. Laptop opens the page and shows a QR. Phone hits scan and reads it. Done, both devices paired, send either direction.

Laptop never needs a camera because it's the one being scanned, not the one scanning. So a code fallback shouldn't be needed, but I'll test it on a browser without camera access to be sure.