PairOnce

TROUBLESHOOTING · NEARBY SHARING IN THE BROWSER

Snapdrop or PairDrop not showing your other device

Snapdrop and PairDrop list a device automatically only when both appear to be on the same network, so a phone on mobile data, a VPN or a guest Wi-Fi keeps them apart.

Put both on the same Wi-Fi and turn off the VPN, or in PairDrop pair the two devices with its code or join the same public room.

If you would rather not depend on the network at all, PairOnce also connects by a QR code or six-digit code, on any network, with an encrypted relay when needed.

Step by step

  1. Check the network on both devices. Same Wi-Fi name, not a guest network, mobile data off on the phone.
  2. Turn off VPNs and private relay features. They give one device a different public address, so the two no longer look like neighbours.
  3. In PairDrop, pair the devices. Use its pair option with the code or QR code, or have both join the same public room; paired devices find each other across networks.
  4. Or connect by code in PairOnce. Open paironce.com on both, scan the QR code or type the six-digit code, compare the safety code and click Approve device. A page opened from a QR code or link asks you to confirm first: tap Connect.

What happened to Snapdrop?

Snapdrop was acquired by LimeWire in 2025 and snapdrop.net now leads to LimeWire’s service, which works differently. PairDrop is the actively maintained open-source fork of the original Snapdrop, and it adds pairing across networks. If PairDrop works for you on one Wi-Fi, it is a good tool to keep using.

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

  • PairDrop. Free and open source, finds devices on the same network, pairs devices or uses public rooms across networks, and can be self-hosted.
  • LocalSend. Free and open source, very fast on a local network; mainly used through its app on both devices and the same network. The web version also stays on one network and does not work with the app yet.
  • AirDrop or Quick Share. Built in, but only between Apple devices, or between Android and Windows.

Common questions

Why does my phone appear on Wi-Fi but disappear on mobile data?

On mobile data the phone has a different public address from the computer, so automatic discovery treats it as a stranger. Pair the devices instead.

Does PairOnce discover devices automatically?

Yes. Since November 2026, devices on the same Wi-Fi find each other on their own: open paironce.com on both and the other device appears at the top of the pairing card, one tap away. And unlike Snapdrop and PairDrop’s web version, PairOnce also connects across different networks, with the QR code or the six-digit code. Either way you confirm a safety code, and you can hide your device from the list.

Is a transfer through a relay safe?

With PairOnce the relay only forwards encrypted data; it cannot read files or messages. Each device can relay 200 MB a month; on one network the transfer goes direct.