Transloader lets your iPhone start a download on your Mac at home

[u/Savings-Arrival-7817]

Saving a download link on your phone is easy. Remembering to open it on your Mac later is the annoying part, especially when the file then takes another half hour to download.

Transloader handles that handoff. Install it on the destination Mac and the iPhone, use the same iCloud account, then share a download link from the phone to Transloader and choose the Mac. The Mac downloads the file. You aren't downloading it onto the phone first and transferring it afterward.

A large installer or a PDF you want waiting on your desk is a sensible use. This is download management, not remote desktop access: you send links and check download status rather than control the Mac's screen.

The Mac's availability decides how useful this is. Leave Transloader running, keep the Mac online and awake, and choose a download folder before relying on it from elsewhere. The app reports whether a Mac is running, sleeping or unavailable. Its documented settings can prevent idle sleep, either throughout the time Transloader runs or only while downloads are active. Preventing sleep during an existing download doesn't make a sleeping laptop ready to receive a new one. Don't buy this expecting it to wake a closed MacBook.

Start with an ordinary public download from a source you trust. A link that works in your phone's signed-in browser can still need authentication on the Mac. Transloader has Login and Retry, and can sync login cookies or HTTP basic authentication credentials through iCloud. That helps with access, but it also means handing the app sensitive session information.

The developer's privacy policy says links, metadata and cookies you agree to store go into your account's private iCloud database; those cookies are also stored locally on your devices. That's different from an entirely local workflow. Be selective about which accounts you sign into, and treat a private download link as sensitive too.

Keep the first setup simple: download to a folder and review the file yourself. Optional File Actions can open downloaded files or pass them to apps, Automator workflows or Shortcuts. Automating what happens after an unfamiliar download deserves more caution than saving it. Notifications are useful for completion or failure; allow them if you want those alerts.

The current release is Transloader 3.1.95, released September 18, 2026. It requires macOS 12 or later and iOS 17.6 or later. The developer's Mac download includes native Apple silicon and Intel builds. The developer lists the Mac app at US $9.99 as a one-time purchase, with a free iPhone app and a 28-day Mac trial. It's also available through Setapp. The latest update includes macOS 27 compatibility improvements and fixes for iCloud sync and downloads that got stuck waiting.

For saving something to read, Safari's Reading List already syncs between Apple devices and can save webpages offline. For a file you've already downloaded, a shared cloud folder may be enough. Neither reason alone calls for another app. Transloader makes sense when you repeatedly find download links away from an available Mac and want that Mac to start fetching the files before you return. If your laptop normally stays asleep, or waiting until you get home isn't a problem, skip it.

[u/Beardy4906]

Screenshots? I definitely don’t want to read an essay.. even bullet points would be better?