AirDroid is a super handy Android app that allows you to easily control your phone from your computer’s web browser for free. Once you have installed the app on your phone and set up an account, it couldn’t be easier to use:
- Go to http://web.airdroid.com on your computer. It will give you the option to sign in or scan a QR code.
- Open the app on your phone and click the “Scan QR Code” button.
- That’s it! You can now get all kinds of info about your phone and do most of what you would normally do, without taking it out of your pocket.
Once you are up and running, you can send and receive text messages (hooray for typing with all 10 fingers!), move all sorts of files between phone and computer, install or remove apps, view all of your photos of puppies and babies in their life-size glory and even see what your camera sees, and more, all from an interface that will feel as familiar as your computer’s desktop.
Cons
With all of that goodness, there are bound to be a few cons. Here they are, based on my experience:
- Some features are limited to a “Premium” account, but the details on how to sign up or what it costs are impossible to find (outside of the 2 free months for pimping them out to your Facebook and Twitter followers). Seems a little shady to me, so I will stick to the free account for now.
- The SMS text messaging from my computer is hands down the most useful feature for me, but the lack of MMS (picture messaging) is sorely missed and a need (ok, want) that is filled by the likes of MightyText.
- It occasionally has trouble keeping the connection active, forcing me to reconnect multiple times in a day. This is really only a minor annoyance, and could very likely be due to spotty wifi, but just wanted to mention it. Let me know in the comments if your experience is different!
- The notifications could be a little better. I find that I mostly realize I have received an alert, by hearing the notification from my phone, not from the browser tab. This is only really an issue if you are trying to control your phone while, say, it’s in the other room or you forgot it at home. Neither of those are a typical scenario for me, so this hasn’t been a big deal.
Details
Device: Android; Any computer web browser
Price: Free, with premium options
Download: Google Play