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Transfer Files to Android

Fleeting

authorship
this note is edited using Claude/default, governed by the note how to write a literature note
tl;dr
unlock the device, choose « File Transfer », mount it with aft-mtp-mount, unmount it with fusermount -u.

Put the device in file transfer mode

how
the device is unlocked, then connected to the computer by USB cable1.
how
on the device, the « Charging this device via USB » notification is tapped, and « File Transfer » selected under « Use USB for »1.

Mount it

what
aft-mtp-mount is the FUSE interface of Android File Transfer for Linux, an MTP client2.
how
mkdir ~/my-device, then aft-mtp-mount ~/my-device2.
how
with nix, nix-shell -p android-file-transfer --run "aft-mtp-mount ~/my-device"3.

Unmount it

how
fusermount -u ~/my-device4.

  1. « Unlock your device. With a USB cable, connect your device to your computer. On your device, tap the “Charging this device via USB” notification. Under “Use USB for,” select File Transfer. » — primary, Google, Android Help ([2026-09-27 Sun]) ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. « Android File Transfer for Linux — a reliable MTP client with minimalistic UI similar to Android File Transfer. » and, under « FUSE interface »: « mkdir ~/my-device » « ./aft-mtp-mount ~/my-device » — primary, the project README ([2026-09-27 Sun]) ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. the user ran nix-shell -p android-file-transfer --run "aft-mtp-mount ~/truc/b" on a Samsung Galaxy tablet and it mounted the device ([2026-09-27 Sun]). ↩︎

  4. « fusermount - unmount FUSE filesystems » ; « -u unmount. » — primary, fusermount(1), Debian bookworm ([2026-09-27 Sun]) ↩︎