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FreeSend FAQ

tags: FreeSend, FAQ, SHING MING STUDIO

All Platform

Tutorial

Prepare for sending

Select the Network Interface and Searching the Target

To transmit the data to other devices on the same local network, select the network interface you are currently connected to (such as Wi-Fi) and then check the "🔍" to search the IP of the devices currently connected to the same local network. Or you can manually add the device IP you want to send. Once the above operation is finished, you can see and choose the IP that we found (or the IP you added) on the picker. Select the same IP value on the picker according to your target IP.

Tutorial 1

Select the files you want to send

Add the files in to the app

To tell the apps what files you want to send, please click "+" on the home page to navigate to the "Adding File" page. You can click the "Add photos/videos" or "Add files" button to add the file in order to notify the app those files you selected are wanted to be sent later.

Tutorial 2

Sending files

Notify the target and waiting the response

Once you finish the above operation, you can click the "Send" button on the home page to notify the target that you want to send/share some files. Please note that the target must also have this app installed and opened for receiving. If the target replies to the sending request with an acceptance statement, you will start sending the files to the target immediately. (Or refuse by the target so you cannot send)

Tutorial 3.1

Tutorial 3.2

Receiving files

Confirmation prompt

When someone in the local network wants to share the file/data with you, you will receive a prompt that includes information on the file name, number, total size, and the sponsor IP. You can accept or reject to receive. Please note that the prompt will wait 20 seconds for the user to choose; after 20 seconds, if it is not chosen by the user, the app will default to reject the receipt.

Confirmation prompt (Android)

Confirmation prompt (mac)

Troubleshooting

After searching the network, I can't find the target IP on the picker:

Step 1. Please ensure your two devices (sender side and receiver side) are both in the same local network.

Step 2. Please ensure your two devices (sender side and receiver side) are both connected to the network without VPN enabled.

Step 3. Also, if the target is running a desktop platform (macOS or Windows), please configure your device firewall first to respond to the search requests and make it discoverable by other devices in the local network.

After these checks, please search the network again by clicking the "🔍" button or manually add the IP by clicking the "Manually add target IP."

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Points to take note of

Limitation of showing the device name and network name

Details

For macOS and iOS, the app cannot get/show the device name and network name (e.g., Wi-Fi SSID) because the security rule of the Apple system doesn't allow us to obtain these information.

Android

Points to take note of

Precise Location Usage

Grant FreeSend access to precise device's location

In order to get and show the correct Wi-Fi SSID on the app home page, please grant FreeSend access to the precise device's location.

Screenshot 2024-02-19 at 02.22.25

Modify the permission on system settings

How to

If you want to change the permission setting later, open "Settings," scroll down, click "Apps," and then click the row of "FreeSend" and "Permissions." You can now see/modify the permission setting of the app.

Modify the permission on Android system settings

iOS/iPadOS

Troubleshooting

  1. I cannot search the device's IP in the local network: Please grant permission for local network access

Points to take note of

Local Network Usage

Grant permission for local network access

In order to search your other device's IP and transmit data on your local network, please grant permission for local network access to FreeSend.

IMG_0823_crop_edit

Modify the Permission on System Settings

How to

If you want to change the permission setting later, open "Settings," scroll down, and click the row of "FreeSend." You can now see/modify the permission setting of the app, which is shown on the right-hand side (on iOS, the system will navigate to a new page).

IMG_0829_edit

IMG_0827

macOS

Known Issue

  1. On macOS systems, FreeSend does not support transmitting data via an Ethernet interface. Please use a Wi-Fi network as a transmitting data channel.

  2. When transmitting data from macOS to an Android system, there is a probability of getting a transmission failed message with the error code "Connection refused" on macOS (sender). The cause of the problem may be that the socket is occupied or not released. Please close the progress popup of the transmission on both the sender and receiver side and then try to send it again later.

Troubleshooting

  1. Other devices in my local network cannot search my macOS devices: Please disable stealth mode in the macOS firewall setting
  2. My macOS devices cannot search and receive the data: Please allow incoming connection of FreeSend
  3. When I send data from macOS to Android, I often receive error messages; how can I solve this? Unfortunately, this is a known issue. The cause of the problem may be that the socket is occupied or not released. Please close the progress popup of the transmission on both the sender and receiver side and then try to send it again later.

Points to take note of

Local Network Usage

Allow incoming connection of FreeSend

In order to receive the data from other devices, please allow incoming connection of FreeSend.

Allow incoming connection edit

Disable stealth mode in the macOS firewall setting

How to

In order to make myself (macOS) can be found by other devices in the local network, make sure you are disabled stealth mode in the macOS firewall setting.

Firewall_disable_stealth_mode_flow_2

Modify the Permission on System Settings

How to

If you want to change the permission setting later, open "System Settings" and click Network -> Firewall -> Options. You can now see/modify all the apps or services you are allowed or blocked on your computer.

Change_FreeSend_permission_edit_resize

Windows

Troubleshooting

  1. Other devices in my local network cannot search my Windows devices: Please configure the firewall to allow pings
  2. My Windows devices cannot search and receive the data: Please grant permission for local network access

Points to take note of

Local Network Usage

Grant permission for local network access (Windows firewall)

In order to search your other device's IP and transmit data on your local network, please grant permission for local network access to FreeSend.

Windows_firewall_allow_edit

Configure the firewall to allow pings

Windows firewall

For the Windows firewall, ping requests are blocked by default. Please follow the step-by-step guidelines below to enable it so other devices in the local network can find your Windows PC.

  1. Click the "Windows Security" tray icon on the Taskbar

    1. Click Windows Security

  2. Click the "Firewall & network protection" button

    2. Click Firewall & network protection

  3. Click the "Advanced settings" selection

    3. Click Advanced settings

  4. Click the "Inbound Rules" selection on the upper left-hand corner

    4. Click Inbound Rules

  5. Scroll the rule list and select the rule named "File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request - ICMPv4-In)" (two counts, one of the "Private, Public" Profile, one of "Domain" Profile)

5. Enable Rules

  1. Right-click the above two rules in the rule list and click the "Enable Rule" selection. After that, you can see two green ticks
    7. Green tick     on the left-hand side of the two rules, respectively.

6. Finish Setting

Now, your Windows PC can be found on other devices on the same local network.

Third-party firewalls

Because each third-party firewall is uniquely configured, it is impossible to cover all possible ways of enabling ping on all possible firewalls. However, you can use the following information to determine how to configure your firewall:

  • Some firewalls exempt certain protocols or services. In those cases, you must enable ping. Some firewalls call the setting "ping", or "incoming ping". Others refer to it by its technical name, "ICMP Echo Reply". Either way, allow this protocol.
  • Many firewalls also offer options to allow certain ports to communicate (do not confuse networking TCP ports with the physical serial, parallel, USB, or Ethernet ports). Only "ping" (ICMP_Echo_Reply) must be enabled, and that doesn't use ports.

Issue report

If you encounter any software issues, please feel free to report via this link. Thank you.

Update History

  • v1.0 Feb. 25, 2024: First release
  • v1.1 Feb. 29, 2024: "All Platform" section added
  • v1.2 Mar. 21, 2024: "Issue report" section added
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SHING MING, WONG
With enthusiasm about Computer Science and Art.
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