bridge

Android and Mac, seamlessly connected.

A lightweight, native open-source bridge linking your Android phone and your Mac over your local Wi-Fi network—with zero cloud accounts, zero telemetry, and zero latency.

What's New in v1.3.1 • Key Features • Getting Started • Pairing & Multi-Device • Security & Privacy

macOS Menu Bar App (Local File Sharing & Transfer)	Android App (3-Tab Floating Pill Navigation)

Note

Active Open-Source Project
Bridge is an actively maintained open-source project updated on a regular basis with continuous stability enhancements, new features, and design improvements. Star the repository to follow releases and upcoming roadmap milestones.

⚡ What's New in v1.3.1

Bridge v1.3.1 focuses on bug fixes and privacy polish:

Latest Message First in macOS Notifications — Stacked chat banners on macOS now preview the newest incoming message when collapsed while keeping older messages visible when expanded.
Clean Disconnect & Unpair Sync — Added a dedicated Disconnect / Connect button on Android, fixed the unpaired state (No device paired), and synchronized remote unpairing so macOS resets directly to the pairing screen.
Hidden IP Addresses by Default — Masked IP addresses in the macOS menu bar with dots (•••.•••.•••) and added a small eye icon toggle to reveal or hide them on click.

✨ Key Features

📁 High-Speed Encrypted Local File & Folder Sharing

Unlimited Transfers: Transfer single files, batches, or full directory structures directly between Mac and Android with zero file size limits.
Direct LAN Stream: Transfers stream straight across your local network or hotspot with hardware-accelerated AES-GCM encryption and post-transfer SHA-256 verification.
Folder Structure Integrity: Directories are packaged cleanly without OS metadata (.DS_Store, __MACOSX, Thumbs.db) using fast deflate compression.
Native OS Shortcuts: Drag and drop onto the macOS menu bar icon, right-click in Finder to "Share with Bridge", or share from Android's system share sheet (ACTION_SEND).
Custom Save Locations: Choose your custom downloads folder on both Mac (via persistent Security-Scoped Bookmarks) and Android (via Storage Access Framework).

📋 Two-Way Clipboard Synchronization (Text & Photos)

Instant Text Copy: Copy any text, code snippet, or link on your phone or Mac; immediately paste it on the other device with zero extra taps.
Screenshot & Image Sync: Copy an image in Preview, capture a macOS screenshot (Cmd+Shift+4), or copy a photo on Android—it syncs directly into the other device's pasteboard.
Echo Suppression: Robust SHA-256 digest hashing prevents infinite clipboard feedback loops.

🔔 Interactive Notification Mirroring

Instant Forwarding: Phone notifications appear instantly in the macOS menu bar popover and as native macOS notification banners with app icons.
Inline Quick Reply: Type and send replies directly to messages without touching your phone.
Smart Filtering: Persistent background services and duplicate group summaries are automatically filtered out to keep your Mac feed clean.
Bidirectional Settings Sync: Toggle notification sync on either phone or Mac with changes synchronized across both devices in real time.
Mac Alert Mirroring: Optionally forward Mac system notifications to your Android device with smart duplicate detection (drops alerts for apps already installed on your phone).

⚡ Seamless Local Connectivity

Zero-Config Bonjour Discovery: Discovers your Mac automatically on Wi-Fi via mDNS (_clipboardsync._tcp), adapting seamlessly to DHCP router changes.
Sleep & Wake Resilience: Automatically pauses when your MacBook lid closes and re-establishes the connection within 1.5 seconds upon waking.
100% Local Wi-Fi: All communication travels strictly over your local router on TCP :8765. Zero cloud servers, zero third-party accounts, zero tracking.

📱 Multiple Device Connectivity

One Mac, Multiple Phones: Keep your personal and work phones linked to your MacBook at the same time.
Unified Feed: Notifications from both devices are displayed with individual device tags.
Selective Unpairing: Unpair or disconnect one phone without affecting other active devices.

🚀 Getting Started

You can install Bridge by downloading the pre-built binaries from GitHub Releases, using terminal commands, or building from source.

Option 1: Direct Download

Download the latest v1.3.1 release assets from Releases:
- 💻 Bridge-v1.3.1-macOS.zip — Native macOS Menu Bar App (macOS 11.0+)
- 📱 Bridge-v1.3.1-Android.apk — Native Android App (Android 8.0+)
Install on macOS:
- Unzip Bridge-v1.3.1-macOS.zip and move Bridge.app into /Applications.
- Launch Bridge.app. (If macOS Gatekeeper prompts on first launch, right-click Bridge.app → Open, or run xattr -cr /Applications/Bridge.app && open /Applications/Bridge.app in Terminal).
- The Bridge icon will appear in your top menu bar.
Install on Android:
- Open Bridge-v1.3.1-Android.apk on your Android phone to install the app.
- Android 14–16 Google Play Protect Notice: Because Bridge uses BIND_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_SERVICE and BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE, Play Protect's sideload fraud protection on newer Android devices may block opening the APK from a browser or file manager ("App blocked to protect your device"). If that happens, install from your Mac using ADB instead (Option 2 below):
```
adb install -r /tmp/Bridge-Android.apk
```
- Android 13+ Restricted Settings: If Accessibility or Notification Access appears grayed out after sideloading, open Settings → Apps → Bridge → ⋮ (top right) → Allow restricted settings, then enable the permissions.

Option 2: Install via Command Line (CLI)

# 1. Download & launch the macOS Menu Bar app
curl -L -o /tmp/Bridge-macOS.zip "https://github.com/badruddin-tasnim/bridge/releases/download/v1.3.1/Bridge-v1.3.1-macOS.zip"
unzip -q -o /tmp/Bridge-macOS.zip -d /Applications
xattr -cr /Applications/Bridge.app
open /Applications/Bridge.app

# 2. Download & install the Android APK over ADB
curl -L -o /tmp/Bridge-Android.apk "https://github.com/badruddin-tasnim/bridge/releases/download/v1.3.1/Bridge-v1.3.1-Android.apk"
adb install -r /tmp/Bridge-Android.apk

Option 3: Build from Source

Click to expand build instructions (Swift & Gradle)

Prerequisites

macOS: macOS 11.0+ with Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install)
Android: JDK 17+ and Android SDK (compileSdk 34)

Build macOS Menu Bar App

cd mac-app
make clean && make
make install   # Installs Bridge.app to /Applications/Bridge.app
make run       # Launches Bridge in your menu bar

Build Android App

cd android-app
./gradlew assembleDebug
adb install -r app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Verify Release Downloads

All official release assets include SHA256SUMS.txt on the GitHub Release page. Starting after v1.3.1, release APKs are also signed with Bridge's dedicated Android release certificate:

# 1. Verify archive & APK checksums against SHA256SUMS.txt
shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS.txt

# 2. Verify the Android APK signing certificate SHA-256 fingerprint
apksigner verify --print-certs Bridge-*-Android.apk

Expected Android signing certificate SHA-256 digest:

AC:40:63:01:B9:1F:9D:49:65:8D:37:12:3D:4C:D6:A7:F7:91:13:2C:D7:BB:3A:3F:51:F5:60:BD:60:B9:77:DC

🔗 Pairing & Multi-Device Connection

Pairing your devices is fast, private, and requires zero account creation:

Step 1: Open Mac Menu Bar	Step 2: Scan QR or Enter Code on Phone

Step 3: Permissions & Device Controls	Step 4: Connected & Ready

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Connect to Same Wi-Fi: Ensure your Android phone and Mac are connected to the same local Wi-Fi network. (Tip: When traveling or away from home, you can also connect your Mac directly to your phone's Personal Hotspot).
Open Bridge on Mac: Click the Bridge icon in your Mac menu bar. It displays your instant QR code and 6-digit code.
Scan or Type Code on Android:
- Tap Scan QR code in the Android app and point your camera at the Mac menu bar popover.
- Alternatively: Enter the 6-digit pairing code shown on your Mac.
- Manual IP: If on an enterprise network blocking multicast (mDNS), tap Enter IP address instead and click the eye icon in the bottom bar of the Mac popover to view your IP:port.
Grant Permissions on Android:
- Notification Access: Allows Bridge to mirror your incoming notifications and route quick replies.
- Accessibility Service: Android 10+ restricts background apps from reading the clipboard. Bridge uses an accessibility event listener to capture copy actions without screen reading or keylogging.
- Battery Optimization Exemption: Prevents OEM task killers from freezing background sync when your phone is locked.
Adding Another Phone:
- Click Add another phone in the Mac popover anytime.
- The QR drawer expands smoothly without disconnecting your existing device.
- Scan with your second device to link both phones simultaneously!

Expand "Add another phone" anytime to connect an additional device.

🔒 Security, Privacy & Architecture Transparency

Bridge is built to be 100% local, zero-cloud, and auditable (see SECURITY.md for current details and planned protocol hardening).

1. Salted Challenge-Response Authentication & Transport Model

Android pairing handshake: The Android client authenticates using a salted SHA-256 challenge-response instead of sending the 6-digit pairing code directly: $$\text{Proof} = \text{SHA-256}(\text{"bridge-hello:"} + \text{PairingCode} + \text{":"} + \text{ClientNonce})$$ The Mac verifies the proof and replies with a matching welcome proof before authorizing the session.
Current threat model (Trusted Local Wi-Fi): Control messages on TCP :8765 (clipboard text/images, notifications, and file-transfer control tokens) currently run over an unencrypted local TCP socket, while file-transfer data streams are encrypted with AES-256-GCM using a SHA-256-derived session token. TLS transport encryption and PAKE / high-entropy pairing authentication are planned for v1.4.0 (so until then, only use Bridge on trusted private networks/hotspots).

2. Brute-Force & Denial-of-Service Defense

Per-IP Exponential Lockout: 5 failed handshake attempts from an IP within 60 seconds trigger an immediate 60-second lockout, doubling exponentially on consecutive violations up to 960 seconds.
Global Rate-Limiting: 10 failed handshake attempts across all IPs within 60 seconds trigger a 30-second global handshake lockout.
Anti-Replay Nonce Caching: Caches the most recent 256 handshake nonces to reject replayed hello packets.
Unauthenticated Handshake Timeout: Connections that do not authenticate within 8 seconds are automatically dropped.
Bounded Buffers: Unauthenticated connections are restricted to 8 KB max payload size (and max 4 concurrent unauthenticated sockets) to mitigate memory exhaustion and socket DoS.

3. Local Network Boundary Enforcement

Bridge rejects connections originating from public or non-private IP addresses.
Only local LAN addresses (RFC 1918: 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16, link-local 169.254.0.0/16, CGNAT 100.64.0.0/10, and loopback/link-local IPv6) are accepted.
Pairing codes on macOS are stored with strict POSIX 0600 permissions (~/.bridge_pairing_code).

4. Transparent Permission Usage

Permission	Exact Purpose in Bridge	Source Reference
`BIND_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_SERVICE`	Reads incoming Android status bar notifications to mirror them to your Mac and delivers replies/dismissals back to apps.	`BridgeNotificationListenerService.kt`
`BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE`	Detects copy events on Android 10+ so clipboard text can be synced without background polling. Does not read screen text or log keystrokes.	`ClipboardSyncAccessibilityService.kt`
`INTERNET`	Establishes the local LAN TCP socket (`:8765`) between phone and Mac. Checks GitHub API for new releases.	`NetworkSyncClient.kt`
`CAMERA`	Active only when scanning the pairing QR code. Video frames are decoded in memory and discarded immediately.	`MainActivity.kt`
`POST_NOTIFICATIONS`	Displays the persistent foreground notification required by Android to keep the background sync engine alive.	`ClipboardSyncForegroundService.kt`
`REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS`	Prevents Android Doze mode from killing the socket connection when the device is locked.	`MainActivity.kt`

🤝 Contributing

Contributions, bug reports, and suggestions are welcome! Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

📄 License

Released under the MIT License.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github		.github
android-app		android-app
mac-app		mac-app
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
SECURITY.md		SECURITY.md

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bridge

Android and Mac, seamlessly connected.

⚡ What's New in v1.3.1

✨ Key Features

📁 High-Speed Encrypted Local File & Folder Sharing

📋 Two-Way Clipboard Synchronization (Text & Photos)

🔔 Interactive Notification Mirroring

⚡ Seamless Local Connectivity

📱 Multiple Device Connectivity

🚀 Getting Started

Option 1: Direct Download

Option 2: Install via Command Line (CLI)

Option 3: Build from Source

Prerequisites

Build macOS Menu Bar App

Build Android App

Verify Release Downloads

🔗 Pairing & Multi-Device Connection

Step-by-Step Instructions:

🔒 Security, Privacy & Architecture Transparency

1. Salted Challenge-Response Authentication & Transport Model

2. Brute-Force & Denial-of-Service Defense

3. Local Network Boundary Enforcement

4. Transparent Permission Usage

🤝 Contributing

📄 License

About

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bridge

Android and Mac, seamlessly connected.

⚡ What's New in v1.3.1

✨ Key Features

📁 High-Speed Encrypted Local File & Folder Sharing

📋 Two-Way Clipboard Synchronization (Text & Photos)

🔔 Interactive Notification Mirroring

⚡ Seamless Local Connectivity

📱 Multiple Device Connectivity

🚀 Getting Started

Option 1: Direct Download

Option 2: Install via Command Line (CLI)

Option 3: Build from Source

Prerequisites

Build macOS Menu Bar App

Build Android App

Verify Release Downloads

🔗 Pairing & Multi-Device Connection

Step-by-Step Instructions:

🔒 Security, Privacy & Architecture Transparency

1. Salted Challenge-Response Authentication & Transport Model

2. Brute-Force & Denial-of-Service Defense

3. Local Network Boundary Enforcement

4. Transparent Permission Usage

🤝 Contributing

📄 License

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