How to transfer files between your phone and another computer or phone

As a security/privacy precaution the ability to transfer files between your phone and computer is not automatically available. This is for a good reason as it prevents most people from simply connecting your phone to a device and providing quick/simple ability to pull your information off your phone. This is yet another feature that some people view as an inconvenience when in fact it is making your device MORE private and MORE secure.

Hence, to transfer files between your phone and computer or between your phone and another phone you need to first enable this ability on the phone. To accomplish this you need to:

Enable Developer Mode

Settings -> About Phone -> (Scroll to bottom) tap the "Build number" 6 times in a row until you see a message that says "you have enabled developer mode"

Turn on USB debugging

Now go back to Settings -> System -> Developer options -> USB debugging (turn this on)

Plug phone into computer and select "File Transfer" within the USB Preferences prompt

You'll be able to pull up all the files on the phone from your computer at this point and move them to the laptop (or wherever).

Turn off developer mode when you are done

Settings -> System -> Developer options (turn off on top). Once you disconnect your phone from the laptop, this will automatically turn off USB debugging.

I will try to do a video tutorial on this shortly and will update this post accordingly once completed.

Im trying to transfer contacts to ghost phone from a rented phone Samsung A35. There is no setting to get to developer mode.
There is one that says Export Contacts, but I cant get it to recognize the Pixel 6, though they are connected USB-C to USB-C.
Advice please?

Thanks!
SingingMama

Uffda! This is so complicated! My husband found the build and developer settings.
We have the two phones connected to each other but they are not transferring properly.
The choices on Ghost phone are:
File Transfer
MIDI
PTP
USB Tethering
Webcam
No Data Transfer

Charging phone only

Choices on A35 are:
Transferring files/Android Auto
USB tethering
MIDI
Transferring images
Charging phone only

and
USB controlled by which device?
A35 or Ghost Phone?

Help please!
Sincerely,
SingingMama

Saga continues:
One device or the other insists on charging the other device.

The Ghost Phone keeps switching from File transfer to No data transfer.

One thing I clicked on gives choice to which app to use for the USB device:
Smart Switch
MTP Host Downloads
Gallery

I've clicked on MTP Host Downloads, and give permission just once.
Still no files transfer.

I've clicked on Smart Switch, and give permission just once.
Still no files transfer.

Either choice go back to "Get connected" and say "Drag the notification panel down from the top of the screen, then change the uSB option to Transfer media files (MTP).
But there's no MTP choice.

Any thoughts or help??

Sincerely,
SingingMama

Apologize for the delayed response. In the future, send your support requests to support@mark37.com!

Hopefully you've resolved this issue by now. If not, based on what you've described, I'm thinking that either:

1) you've got a charging cable that is not designed for data transfer and is only for charging... meaning it will not allow you to move files between devices.
2) if/when you have the right cable connecting the 2 devices, from the phone you want to move your files FROM, you need to go into the "files" app > select the file you want to move to the new device > select "copy" > select the device you want to copy to and then where on the device you want to the file to exist (downloads is a good option for temporary files). Once the transfer is completed, and assuming it's your contacts you want to move, you need to go into the same "files" app on the new device to find the file and open it. Contacts will automatically start to import once you open the file on the new device. Give it a minute and then open your contacts and you should see them populated if you did this correctly.

Please reach out to support@mark37.com with any further questions.