Eric's Drop to Phone for iPhone
Native receiver for the same LAN URLs the Windows app prints (http://{ip}:17890/d/{token}). After one scan, the app can also find the PC on Wi-Fi by Bonjour (_droptophone._tcp) if the address changes.
The Xcode project is in this folder. Open it on a Mac. It cannot be compiled on Windows. CI builds the iOS Simulator target on GitHub (macos-15).
Safari still works without this app. Use the native app to save to Photos or Files after one QR scan (or a Connect tap when the PC is discovered).
Open and run
git clone https://github.com/ejw427/DropToPhone.git
cd DropToPhone
open src/DropToPhone.iOS/DropToPhone.xcodeproj
- Signing & Capabilities → your Team (Personal Team is enough for a device install).
- Bundle ID is
com.droptophone.app(TestFlight / App Store). Change it only if you are sideloading with a free Apple ID and that ID is taken. - Run on a physical iPhone on the same Wi-Fi as the Windows PC.
Minimum iOS: 16 (VisionKit data scanner).
TestFlight / Match / CI: use the TestFlight HTML on the DEV site (TESTFLIGHT.html), not the raw markdown path.
Paid App Store submission (Plan B): APP_STORE.md.
Permissions
| Key | Why |
|---|---|
| Camera | Scan the QR from the Windows window |
| Photo library add | Save pictures and video to Recents |
| Photo library (optional) | Add to the Eric's Drop to Phone album |
| Files / On My iPhone | PDFs and other documents, or a folder you pick |
| Local network | Talk to the PC and discover it with Bonjour |
Bonjour _droptophone._tcp |
Find the Windows app on Wi-Fi |
| Allows local networking | HTTP (not HTTPS) on the LAN |
URL contract
Same as Safari, plus a gallery of items:
- Status:
GET /current(ready/preparing, items, progress) - Page:
GET /d/{token} - One file:
GET /d/{token}/item/{id} - Single file or zip of the whole drop:
GET /d/{token}/file
The app downloads each item (with a progress bar) and saves using your Save location setting. Pictures and video can go to Photos; other files always go to Files.
Save location
Open Save location in the iPhone app to choose:
- Photos or Files as the default for pictures and video
- Recents vs the Eric's Drop to Phone album
- The Files folder (On My iPhone / Drop to Phone, or any folder you pick)
PDFs and other documents always save to Files, even if Photos is the default. After a save, the app shows the filename and the place it went. You can still save a single drop to the other destination when Photos can take it.