Have you ever wanted to transfer files from your Android TV to your PC or a smartphone but don’t know how to do that? Well, in this article, we have explained various methods and ways with which you can send or transfer files from an Android TV to a PC or smartphone. To be specific, we have brought you five ways with easy-peasy steps. Try out any one method among the following that you feel comfortable with.
Transfer Data from Android TV to PC or Smartphone
Before jumping to any of the methods, you should know that both your devices, the Android TV and the PC/Smartphone, need to connect with the same Wi-Fi network. Although, we have discussed a method without needing to connect to a ‘common’ Wi-Fi too. Use any of the following methods to transfer files from Android TV to your laptop, PC, or smartphone.
METHOD #1: Using Solid Explorer App
One of the easiest ways to transfer files from Android TV to any other device, including laptop, PC, Android smartphone, iOS, or others. The method involves the creation of an FTP server using the Solid Explorer app on your Android TV. Follow these steps:
1.. First, install the free Solid Explorer app from Play Store on your Android TV.
2. Next, open the app and go to the hamburger menu. Now scroll down and expand the “Toolbox” menu to find “FTP Server.”
3. Open the FTP server and click “Start.” You’re set.
4. Now, open any web browser, such as Google Chrome, on any device that’s connected to the same network. Enter the FTP address (eg., ftp://192.168.0.106:9999) shown on the Android TV in the address bar of your web browser.
5. That’s it. Once the page loads, you’ll see a list of all directories available on your Android TV. Simply, click/tap on the file you want to download. The file will now start downloading to your PC or smartphone, whatever you have used for this process.
Note that your FTP address may be different. Use the one that appears on your Android TV FTP server.
METHOD #2: Using SFTV App
It’s also a very easy way to bring files from Android TV to your smartphone or laptop. This method needs the SFTV app (download here) on both of your devices, i.e., the Android TV and your PC/smartphone. Like before, this method also needs both of your devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Note that this app is not available on iOS so, this method won’t work for iOS devices. Follow these steps:
1.. Firstly, install the free SFTV app both on the Android TV and PC/smartphone.
2. After that, open the app on both these devices and click on “Send” in Android TV. On the next page, select the file you want to send.
3. Now, the SFTV app will automatically detect the recipient device. Just select the device, and the file will transfer to your device (PC or smartphone, whichever you used) within seconds.
4. That’s all. You can keep the apps to transfer files from your Android TV to your other devices in the future.
METHOD #3: Using Cloud Service Like Google Drive
This method requires access to cloud services, such as Google Drive via the internet. If your devices are not sharing a common Wi-Fi, then this method is for you. First, set up a cloud service on your Android TV with the help of the Solid Explorer app. Follow these steps:
1. Install and open the Solid Explorer app on your Android TV and click the hamburger menu.
2. Next, click the 3-dot menu and select “Storage Manager.” Now, choose any cloud service, like Google Drive, from the next page.
3. Follow the asked steps and then sign on to your Google account. Give required permissions and click “Connect.”
4. Once connected successfully, Google Drive will now appear in your menu. Just upload the files from your Android TV to Google Drive.
5. When the upload is complete, you can access and download that file from any device by signing in to Drive. Simple!
METHOD #4: Using a USB Drive
This is a simple method to transfer files from your Android TV to your PC, similar to the way you’d transfer from your one PC to another. Just plug in the USB drive to your Android TV’s USB port. Now, use the same app, the Solid Explorer, to copy files from the TV to the USB drive. Later, you can copy them from the USB drive to your PC or use an OTG cable to move them to your smartphone.
METHOD #5: Using ADB (Advanced method)
ADB is an advanced and a bit technical method to transfer files from an Android TV to your PC or laptop. This method also requires your devices connected to a common local network. Note that this process will work only on your desktop computer or laptop, not on smartphones. Follow these steps:
1.. Firstly, set up ADB on your desktop computer or laptop. Also, note down the IP address of your Android TV by going to Settings » Network and Internet » Your WiFi Network.
2. Next, run the following command: run adb connect <ipaddress> to connect to your Android TV from your computer wirelessly. In the <ipaddress> above, make sure to replace it with the actual IP address of your Android TV noted earlier. Now just hit enter. It will connect your PC to your Android TV wirelessly via ADB.
3. Now that it’s connected, run the following command to pull files or folders from your Android TV to your PC or laptop. Run adb pull /sdcard/filename or adb pull /sdcard/FolderName/filename to pull files from the Android TV. If you want to transfer the complete folder, then run adb pull "/sdcard/FolderName". That’s all.
Now that you have learned five methods or easy ways to transfer files from Android TV to a PC or smartphone, you can use any one of them that’s suitable for you. You can see that among these five methods, three require your devices to connect to a common Wi-Fi network. And the rest two, they don’t need the same local network to connect.
As said before, the SFTV method won’t work for the iOS devices. So for iOS devices, you can go for the FTP server method using the Solid Explorer or USB drive method.
Images courtesy: Beebom.com
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