Every feature, explained.

Getting started

Air Drive runs a real web server on your iPhone or iPad. Computers on the same Wi-Fi reach it in a browser — or mount it as a disk. Nothing is installed on the computer, no account is created, and no internet connection is used.

1. Open Air Drive and tap Start. The Server screen shows the address (like 192.168.1.20:8080), a QR code, and a status card while the server runs.
2. Connect from your computer. Type the address into any browser, or scan the QR code with your phone's camera from the computer. The browser opens straight into the Drive.
3. Authenticate. Depending on the access mode (see below) you'll enter a PIN or password, or wait for the owner to approve the connection on the phone.
4. Move files. Upload files or whole folders with drag and drop, download anything — or a whole folder as a ZIP — and preview before you send.

Requirements

• iPhone or iPad on iOS/iPadOS 26 or newer.
• A computer or device on the same Wi-Fi network (or a USB connection to a Mac, which exposes the Drive in Finder).
• Local network permission for Air Drive the first time you start the server — iOS asks once.

Where your files live

The Drive root is the app's Documents folder, visible in the Files app and in Finder over USB. Everything you upload via the browser, the Share extension or the Vault's export lands there. Partial uploads and thumbnails live in app-private storage and don't clutter the Drive.

Access control

The server is off by default. When it runs, three access modes decide who gets in. Choose one in Settings → Access; the Server screen always shows the current mode.

Read-only and per-client permissions

Settings → Access includes a Read-only switch (clients can browse and download but never upload, rename or delete) and fine-grained toggles for uploads, downloads, delete and rename per session. The Server screen reflects what the current client can do.

The web client

The browser client is built into the app — served locally, under 200 KB, with zero third-party requests. Everything below works in Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox on macOS, Windows and Linux.

Browsing

• Breadcrumbs, column sorting (name, size, date) and instant search.
• Click a file to open the preview pane — photos, video, audio, PDFs, text — before you download.
• Multi-select with click/⌘-click or Shift-click for batch downloads.
• A storage meter shows how full the device is.

Uploading

• Drag files or whole folders onto the browser window, or use the upload button.
• Uploads are chunked (64 MB max chunk) and resumable: if a transfer drops, retry in the transfers drawer and it continues from where it stopped — even multi-gigabyte files.
• Choose the destination folder before uploading; Received/ is the default drop zone.

Downloading

• Download single files directly.
• Download a folder as a ZIP64 archive — streamed, so huge trees don't fill the phone's memory.

Transfer history & activity log

Every transfer is recorded. The Transfers drawer in the web client shows progress and retry controls; the app's Transfers tab lists history. The full activity log (who connected, what they did, from which IP) can be exported as CSV PRO.

HTTPS for hostile networks

Mount as a drive PRO

WebDAV mounting makes Air Drive behave like a USB stick over Wi-Fi: drag and drop in the native file manager, no browser at all.

macOS Finder:   Go → Connect to Server → dav://192.168.1.20:8080/
Windows:        Map network drive → \\192.168.1.20@8080\DavWWWRoot
                (or https://… when HTTPS is on)
GNOME Files:    Other Locations → dav://192.168.1.20:8080/

Connect with your Air Drive username and the WebDAV password. The mounted volume supports browse, upload, download, rename, delete and folder creation like any network share.

The Vault PRO

The Vault is an encrypted safe inside the app for files that must not be readable if someone else holds your phone — or if the phone itself leaves your hands.

How it works

• Files are sealed with AES-256-GCM, one random key per file, the master key wrapped and held in the Keychain with Face ID / device-passcode protection.
• The key is ThisDeviceOnly: an iCloud or backup restore onto a new device cannot open the Vault. That's the point — a thief with your backup has nothing.
• File names are encrypted too, not just contents.
• Every segment is authenticated and position-bound, so tampering, truncation or reordering is detected and refused.
• The full container format (ADV1) is published in the security guide.

Using it

1. Move files in. Select files in the Files tab and choose Vault, or use the Share extension → Air Drive → Vault.
2. Open with Face ID. The Vault screen requires Face ID / device passcode each time it's opened.
3. Unseal when needed. Sealed files appear as ciphertext blobs; open them through the Vault screen only.
4. Migrate by exporting. To move to a new phone, use Export everything — the Vault decrypts into the Drive, you re-add on the new device, and delete the export.

Guest links & drop boxes PRO

Guest links share one folder without giving access to anything else, without an account for the guest, and with limits you set.

Creating one

1. In the Files tab, select a folder → Share as guest link.
2. Choose the mode: read-only (browse + download) or drop box (upload only — the guest sees nothing inside).
3. Optionally set expiry (hours to days) and a download limit.
4. Share the generated /g/… URL. Guests open it in any browser — no PIN, no approval, no Air Drive on their side.

Managing

The Guest Links screen lists every active link with its mode, remaining downloads and time left. Revoke instantly, or let it expire on its own. Guest activity appears in the activity log like any other client.

Photos bridge PRO

Share albums from the Photos app over Air Drive's web client without copying a single photo into the Drive.

• A virtual Photos tree appears in the web client alongside your Drive folders.
• Pick the albums to expose; guests and clients browse them like normal folders.
• Read-only by nature — the bridge can serve photos but never receives or deletes them.
• HEIC converts to JPEG on the fly so every computer can open them; Live Photo pairs (photo + video) stay together.
• Nothing is duplicated: the bridge streams from the photo library at request time.

Nearby PRO

Nearby is Client Mode: one Air Drive acting as a client of another, phone-to-phone over the local network — no computer involved.

• The Nearby screen lists other Air Drives discovered on the network via Bonjour.
• Tap one to connect (the owner of the other device approves, or you enter its PIN/password).
• Browse, download from and upload directly to the other device — a chunked tus upload runs phone-to-phone.
• Great for getting a video from one phone to another at full Wi-Fi speed, with no cloud hop.

Transfers & the activity log

Air Drive records what happens so you can audit it.

Trash

Deletes from the web client or app aren't instant destruction — they land in a Trash you control.

• Deleted items are kept for 30 days (with a manifest), then purged automatically.
• Restore anything back to its original place, or purge early to reclaim space immediately.
• Trash storage is app-private — it doesn't appear in the Drive root.

iOS integrations

Air Drive behaves like a system citizen: you can start the server and push files without ever opening the app.

Settings reference

Every toggle in the app, grouped by screen. MDM-managed keys override these and show as "Managed by your organisation".

Server

Access

Files & storage

Ads & privacy

The free tier shows a full-screen ad on cold launch and on returning from the background, plus an interstitial when the server starts (3-minute cooldown). Ads come from Google AdMob with a consent (UMP) flow where required. Pro never starts the ads SDK — no ad requests, no tracking, no consent form. "Privacy options" appears in Settings where the consent law requires it.

MDM — Managed App Configuration

Air Drive supports Apple's standard Managed App Configuration, so MDM systems (Jamf, Kandji, Mosyle, Microsoft Intune, Fleet, or any tool that can send an com.apple.configuration.managed dictionary) can configure the app over the air — no manual setup on each device. Managed keys override the Owner's settings, the UI marks them "Managed by your organisation", and every value is validated: invalid values are ignored and reported back in com.apple.feedback.managed.

Full key reference

Enforcement notes

• Live application. Changing a key that tightens access while the server runs ends affected sessions — the app applies the change and restarts the listener.
• Upload caps compose. MaxUploadSizeMB applies on top of the 64 MiB tus chunk cap: a chunk never exceeds 64 MiB, and the finalize step enforces the total-file limit.
• Extension filtering at the door. AllowedFileExtensions / BlockedFileExtensions are checked when an upload is created; blocked always wins over allowed.
• No HTTPS downgrade. RequireHTTPS gates server start; with no TLS identity available the start fails with a clear message rather than falling back.

Feedback status

The app reports appVersion, serverState, lastError and proSource under com.apple.feedback.managed whenever the configuration changes — your MDM console can query it to verify roll-out.

Suggested fleet policies

Troubleshooting

The computer can't reach the address

• Check both devices are on the same Wi-Fi (guest networks often isolate clients — disable "client isolation" or use the main network).
• Confirm the server is running — the address on the Server screen is only live while it is.
• Let Air Drive through the iOS Local Network permission (Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network).
• Try the numeric address instead of the .local name; some routers block mDNS.

Uploads keep failing for very large files

Uploads are sent in chunks and resume automatically. If a transfer stops, keep the browser tab open and press retry in the transfers drawer. Chunks larger than 64 MB are rejected by design; with MaxUploadSizeMB set, files over the cap are refused at finalization.

I forgot my server password

Settings → Access → set a new one. There is no recovery because there is no account.

The Vault won't open on my new phone

The Vault key never leaves the device it was created on — that's what makes it safe. A backup restore cannot open it. On the old device use Export everything to decrypt into the Drive, move the files, then re-add them to the Vault on the new device.

Mounted WebDAV is slow or drops

WebDAV over Wi-Fi tops out around your network's throughput (on-device testing has measured 10–16 MB/s). Turn on HTTPS only if you need it; compare with a browser upload on the same network to rule out the network itself. Reconnect from the file manager if the volume unmounts after an idle timeout.

A managed setting shows "Managed by your organisation"

Your MDM has set that key and it overrides local settings. Contact your administrator — the app cannot override a managed value.