Sharing photos between smartphones has never simple or efficient — and this is compounded if you are trying to send to multiple devices running different operating systems. Often, the easiest way has been to resort to sending files to individuals via email or a messaging app. It usually works, but feels clunky.
FotoSwipe is an app that aims to make it easier and quicker to send photos and videos from one deice to another, especially for users sending photos between iOS and Android, and take a lot of the finicky hassle out of the process.
Available for iOS and Android, FotoSwipe allows you to send any item from your photo library to another device — both phones simply have to install and open the FotoSwipe app. The app lets you simply swipe an item from one device’s screen to another and does not require you to fiddle with Bluetooth, NFC or enter any contact details for the recipient. There’s also no need to create an account with FotoSwipe, which I was particularly happy to see. Instead, FotoSwipe requires only a data connection as well as access to your location. Items shared are quickly uploaded to FotoSwipe’s secure cloud-server and pushed back down to the recipient device.
Launching the app on both devices and dragging a photo from one screen to another is a fantastically simple concept that is so easy to grasp. It’s much easier than pairing phones or entering contact information, and there are no usage limits so you can send your entire photo library at once if you wish as multiple items can be sent with one swipe.
Using FotoSwipe feels a little bit like magic. Swiping an image off the edge of my LG and and it appearing once I begin swiping onto the screen of my iPhone is pretty cool and makes for a great user experience.
The value of working so well cross-platform should also not be understated. I tested the app with every iPhone, iPad and Android device available to me and it worked as well and as quickly across all of them. There’s also a web component that works similarly, requiring a pairing code instead of working with a swipe on screen.
Transfer speeds on Wi-Fi during my testing have been terrific — the whole process taking less than a second. Sending files over 3G or LTE takes slightly longer, depending on your coverage. If you don’t want to use your data plan, there’s an option in the settings to use Wi-Fi only for sending or receiving files.
By default, files sent are compressed — with a toggle in the settings for sending the uncompressed photo at the original, full quality. Personally, I’d prefer this to be the default option as I don’t ever want lower quality photos to be sent, but due to capped data plans I can understand why it is optional — perhaps the default behaviour should be to send the full-res file when on Wi-FI and a compressed version when using mobile data.
Design-wise, FotoSwipe is fairly uninspiring — a fresh coat of paint is needed on both the Android and iOS apps in my opinion. It works, and feel polished in how well it works, but looks a little dated which might actually put off some users.
If you have ever faced issues in sending photos and videos across devices, particularly between iOS and Android platforms, then FotoSwipe is well worth taking a look at. It’s simple to set up, easy to use and works flawlessly. It might not be the best looking app, but it is an excellent tool for getting your images from one device to another with the greatest of ease.
Check out FotoSwipe for iOS on the App Store and the Android app on Google Play. Both are free to download and use.