Xender and SHAREit Alternative: No App Needed
BoltShare Team · Last reviewed
Xender and SHAREit were how a whole generation of phone users in India shared files: open the app, the phones connect to each other, and videos and apps fly across without using mobile data. Both were among the 59 apps the Government of India blocked in June 2020, and as far as we can find, that block is still in place. So if you’re looking for a replacement, here’s what each option does well, including when BoltShare is the right choice and when it isn’t.
BoltShare isn’t affiliated with Xender or SHAREit. We don’t recommend installing either from APK download sites: apps from unofficial sources can be modified, and they don’t get security updates through the Play Store.
What Xender and SHAREit did
Both apps worked the same basic way:
- Offline transfer. One phone creates a Wi-Fi hotspot or Wi-Fi Direct link and the other joins it, so files move phone to phone with no internet and no mobile data.
- Fast on the same spot. Because the phones talk directly, transfers between people in the same room are quick.
- Phone to PC through a companion web page or desktop app.
- Ads, often a lot of them, and in SHAREit’s case a bundled media player and feeds.
Any replacement needs to cover the job you actually used them for: sending to someone next to you, or sending to someone far away.
The replacements, compared
| Best for | Needs internet? | Install needed | Works across Android, iPhone, PC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BoltShare | Any distance, any device, big files | Yes | No, runs in the browser | Yes |
| Quick Share (Android, Windows) | Nearby Android phones and Windows PCs | No | Built into most Android phones; app on Windows | Android and Windows; iPhone only with a few recent phones |
| AirDrop | Nearby Apple devices | No | Built in | Apple only |
| LocalSend | Devices on the same Wi-Fi | Same network only | App on both devices | Yes |
When BoltShare is the better replacement
- The other person isn’t next to you. Xender and SHAREit only worked when the phones were close. BoltShare sends over the internet, so it works between cities as easily as across a desk.
- Phone to laptop, laptop to phone, or Android to iPhone. Open BoltShare in any browser, pick the files and share the link or QR code. There’s nothing to install on either side, which also means no app permissions to grant.
- Big files. There’s no size limit, so a full movie, a 20 GB game backup or a folder of wedding photos all go in one transfer. Folders arrive as a single ZIP.
- Office, college or mobile-data networks. BoltShare’s default Bolt Tunnel mode connects even on networks that block direct device-to-device connections, and resumes from where it stopped if the connection drops.
To send: open boltshare.in on the sending device, drop in the files, and share the link or let the other person scan the QR code with their phone camera. Keep the screen on and the browser in front until their download finishes, because phones pause background tabs. Keeping a transfer running explains the settings.
When something else is the better replacement
We’d rather you use the right tool:
- No internet at all, or you don’t want to use mobile data. Quick Share on Android (or AirDrop between Apple devices) transfers phone to phone with no connection, the way Xender did. BoltShare needs internet on both devices.
- Two phones in the same room, both Android. Quick Share is already built in on most Android phones. Tap Share → Quick Share and pick the nearby phone.
- Everyone is on the same home Wi-Fi. LocalSend is a free, open-source app that sends across the local network without going out to the internet, and it works on Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac.
Quick guide by situation
| You want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Send a video to a friend in another city | BoltShare |
| Move photos from your phone to your laptop without a cable | BoltShare, or Quick Share on a Windows PC |
| Share with a friend next to you, no internet | Quick Share (Android) or AirDrop (iPhone) |
| Send from Android to iPhone | BoltShare, or LocalSend on the same Wi-Fi |
| Send something over 10 GB | BoltShare |
For more ways to move files between devices, see how to send large files online, iPhone to PC without iCloud and how to send files to a TV.