Will Android File Transfer work on macOS 28?

Very likely not. Google’s Android File Transfer is an Intel-only app, and Apple has said that from macOS 28, the release after macOS 27, Intel apps will no longer run. The only exception Apple has announced is for certain older games.

Updated October 27, 2026, from Apple’s release notes and support pages, linked below. Apple hasn’t given a date for macOS 28. This page is published by Yaaft, a Mac app for moving files to and from Android phones.

What Apple has announced

Apple silicon Macs run Intel apps through Rosetta, a translation layer. Apple has been phasing it out in steps:

June 2025: macOS Tahoe 26 is the last release for Intel Macs. Apple’s developer documentation says Rosetta “will be available through macOS 27 — as a general-purpose tool for Intel apps”, and that afterwards Apple will keep only “a subset of Rosetta functionality aimed at supporting older unmaintained gaming titles” (About the Rosetta translation environment).
macOS Tahoe 26.4: the Mac starts telling you, when you open an app that uses Rosetta, that it won’t be compatible much longer (macOS 26.4 release notes).
macOS 27 Golden Gate (September 2026): “All Intel-based software will no longer be compatible with macOS 28.0, excluding legacy games” (macOS 27 release notes). Apple’s support article puts it the same way: “Starting with macOS 28, the next major macOS release, Rosetta functionality will be available only for certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks” (Using Intel-based apps on a Mac with Apple silicon).

Why Android File Transfer is affected

Android File Transfer was last built in October 2018, two years before the first Apple silicon Macs. We checked the copy Google’s download server still offers, version 1.0.12: the app and its background agent both contain Intel (x86_64) code only. On an Apple silicon Mac it has always run through Rosetta. Google hasn’t released another version: android.com/filetransfer now redirects to Quick Share for Windows, and Google’s help page on moving files between a computer and an Android phone doesn’t cover the Mac.

It isn’t a game, so as we read Apple’s announcements, the exception for older games doesn’t cover it. Unless Google ships an Apple silicon version, expect it to stop opening on macOS 28.

What you’ll see before then

Opening Android File Transfer may show a notice that support for Intel-based apps is ending. Apple says the notices began with macOS Tahoe 26.4.
On macOS 27, System Settings › General › About has an Intel-based Apps section; click Details to see the apps on your Mac that won’t work with macOS 28. Get Info in the Finder also marks them.
Upgrading to macOS 27 doesn’t bring Rosetta back if it was installed before. If an Intel app won’t open, Apple’s support article gives the command to install it again: softwareupdate --install-rosetta.

How to check any app

Select the app in the Finder, choose File › Get Info and look at Kind:

Application (Intel): Intel only. It needs Rosetta and will stop working on macOS 28. Android File Transfer shows this.
Application (Universal): runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel. Not affected.
Application (Apple silicon): Apple silicon only. Not affected.

What to use instead

Any app built for Apple silicon keeps working. Several Mac apps move files to and from Android phones over USB the way Android File Transfer did; we compare them, with prices and what each needs, in Android File Transfer alternatives for Mac.

Yaaft is one of them: a free, universal app for macOS 13 or later, so Rosetta’s end doesn’t affect it. It needs nothing on the phone, has no network access, and if Android File Transfer’s background agent is still taking the phone, it tells you so.

When you switch, remove Android File Transfer Agent in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions. Otherwise it keeps taking the phone as soon as it’s plugged in, and the new app can’t connect. If the phone doesn’t show up at all, see Android phone not showing up on your Mac?

Get Yaaft for macOS 13 or later.