PairOnce

LINUX · CHROMEBOOK ↔ PHONE

Transfer files between Linux or a Chromebook and your phone

Open paironce.com in Chrome, Chromium or Firefox on the Linux computer or Chromebook, scan the QR code with the iPhone or Android phone, and send files either way.

Nothing is installed on either side, no USB mode to set and no account; files go straight between the two browsers, encrypted end to end.

For files over 50 MB, receive in Chrome, Chromium or Firefox on the computer: up to 2 GB per file.

Step by step

  1. Open PairOnce on Linux or the Chromebook. Go to paironce.com in Chrome, Chromium, Edge or Firefox. It shows a QR code and a six-digit code.
  2. Connect the phone. Scan the QR code with the iPhone or Android camera, or type the code at paironce.com on the phone. Check the safety code and click Approve device. A page opened from a QR code or link asks you to confirm first: tap Connect.
  3. Send from either side. Tap or click Choose files; the other side clicks Accept, then Save.
  4. Find the file. On Linux it is in ~/Downloads; on a Chromebook in the Files app under Downloads. On an iPhone, saved files are in the Files app; for a photo, tap Share and then Save to Photos.

Why this is handy on Linux and ChromeOS

iPhones have no AirDrop to Linux or ChromeOS, and USB access to an iPhone needs extra tools. Android over USB works on many distributions but asks you to switch the phone to file transfer mode each time. A browser is already there on every one of them.

Limits, and when this is not the right tool

  • A file can be up to 2 GB over a direct connection when the receiving browser saves straight to disk (Chrome or Edge on a computer or Android, Firefox on a computer, Safari on iOS 26 or later). Other browsers take up to 50 MB per file and hold 100 MB of received files at a time.
  • Files over 2 GB need PairOnce Pro on one of the two devices. Then a file can be up to 10 GB, received the same way, and the relay carries 5 GB a month.
  • When the two devices cannot reach each other directly, an encrypted relay carries the data. Each device can send and receive 200 MB a month that way, counted together; a direct connection has no monthly limit.
  • Both pages must stay open until everything has arrived: keep the phone’s screen on and the browser in front.
  • PairOnce moves things between two devices that are open at the same time. It is not cloud storage: nothing waits on a server for later.

Other ways to do it

  • Quick Share on a Chromebook. Built into ChromeOS and quick with Android phones; it does not work with iPhones.
  • KDE Connect or GSConnect. Deep desktop integration, but it needs an app on the phone and both devices on the same network.
  • LocalSend. Free and open source; mainly its app on both devices, same network only. The web version needs no install but also only works on one network, and not with the app yet.
  • A USB cable. Fine for Android in file transfer mode; an iPhone needs extra tools on Linux.

Common questions

Which Linux distributions work?

Any that runs a current Chrome, Chromium, Edge or Firefox: Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Mint, Arch and others. Nothing else is needed.

Does it work on a school or work Chromebook?

Usually, since it is a website. If the administrator blocks the site or direct connections, it may fall back to the relay or not work there.

Can I send whole folders?

Select all the files of a folder at once; they are sent one after another. Folder structure is not kept, so zip it first if you need it.

Is there AirDrop for a Chromebook?

No: Apple describes AirDrop as working between Apple devices. A Chromebook can still send and receive files with an iPhone through PairOnce in Chrome.