You download a document on your computer, then reach for your phone and find it is still on the other device. Sending it to yourself solves the immediate problem. A watched folder can remove that repeated step for new files.
OGAD (Off Grid AI Desktop) and OGAM (Off Grid AI Mobile) can automatically share new downloaded files between your paired devices. With Pro sync, you choose a source and destination, then set the Downloads rule to Auto. Eligible new files move over the available device connection without a separate send action each time.
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A useful first setup is computer-to-phone sharing: save a new document in one watched folder, then open the received copy on your phone. You can add the reverse direction after that first transfer works.
Downloading a file from a website may need internet. Moving its saved copy between devices can use your local network without cloud storage.
What should you set up first?
Use current OGAD and OGAM builds with Pro access, and pair the devices you want to use. This guide uses OGAD 0.0.51 and OGAM 0.0.111. Keep both apps active and the devices reachable on your local network for the first test.
On the computer, open Devices → Show QR Code. On the phone, open Settings → Sync, scan the code and wait for connected status.
Choose a source folder that contains files you want to share. You do not have to make your entire personal Downloads folder the source. On desktop and iPhone, the selected folder controls the scope; Android has different access rules described below.
How do you automatically send new computer downloads to your phone?
Tell OGAD which folder to watch, choose the phone as the destination, and enable Auto. The folder’s existing contents form a starting point; the rule is for eligible new arrivals after setup, not a bulk transfer of everything already there.
- In OGAD, open Devices → Sharing and enable Sending.
- Choose your phone as the sending destination.
- Set Downloads to Auto.
- When asked, choose the folder that will receive the downloads you want to share. The app watches that selected folder and leaves the original files in place.
- On the phone, open Sync → Sharing → Receiving. Enable optional receiving and allow Downloads through Receiving rules → Configure.
- Download a small, non-sensitive test file into the selected computer folder after setup is complete.
- Open Sync → Files on the phone and find the received file. Open it to confirm the content.
Use Activity in the device sync area if the file is still transferring. This shows the transfer separately from the browser download that originally created the file.
If your browser saves downloads to a different folder, the watcher will not see them. Either save the test file into the selected source or change the source to match your workflow.
How does automatic Downloads sharing differ on Android and iPhone?
The operating system decides what the app can read. Desktop and iPhone can use a selected folder. Android’s normal Downloads access is limited to media unless broader file access is available and you choose to grant it.
| Source device | Setup and scope |
|---|---|
| Mac or Windows PC | Choose a folder for new files |
| iPhone | Choose an accessible local folder; keep OGAM open for the first test |
| Android with media access | New pictures and videos in Downloads are readable |
| Android with permitted all-files access | Broader Downloads files can be readable, including PDFs |
On Android, the Downloads source can offer Allow media access, Start watching, and, where supported, Allow all files. A PDF is not covered merely because you allowed image and video access. The source card describes the access currently available.
If you do not want broader access, use Share a file now for a particular document. That is a manual transfer, so it should not be described as automatic folder sharing.
To configure phone-to-computer sharing, open Sync → Sharing, select the computer under Destination, then choose Automatic sharing → Configure. Set up the Downloads source and choose AUTO. On the computer, allow Downloads from that phone under Devices → Sharing → Receiving.
Can you choose which file types or devices receive downloads?
Yes. Set the rule for one destination rather than All devices, and review its file-type filter when you only need certain kinds of files. A receiver can also refuse optional Downloads data, even when the sender is configured to send it.
Use Ask if you want to approve detected files before sending them. Use Off when you no longer want the source active. These are meaningful choices: a general Downloads folder can contain more than the one document you intended to move.
A downloaded file remains on its source device. This sharing feature is not a mirrored backup of every folder or a promise that renames, deletions and every historical file stay identical across devices.
What happens if the phone is offline?
The automatic-sharing controls let you choose Queue or Skip for offline destinations. Queue keeps eligible sends for later delivery; Skip does not save those sends for a later connection. The destination still needs to reconnect before a file can arrive.
Keep the phone app open when checking delayed transfers. Mobile background limits can pause the connection or source observation. Automatic sending does not guarantee an always-running background service on every phone.
Why did a new download not arrive?
| What happened | What to check |
|---|---|
| An old file did not transfer | Existing files are the baseline; share it explicitly or test a genuinely new download |
| A new computer download is missing | The actual save folder, the Downloads rule and the selected destination |
| An Android PDF is missing | Whether the source has broader file access; media permission alone is insufficient |
| The destination is connected but refuses the file | Its optional receiving and Downloads rules |
| The rule is Ask | Review the pending decision instead of waiting for an automatic send |
| Files stopped arriving after leaving the phone app | Reopen OGAM and check connection and transfer status |
You can use Scan now on an active configured source when the control is available. Expanding access does not mean all previously hidden old files will be sent; the source keeps a baseline to avoid treating the existing folder as new downloads.
How do you retry a failed transfer and find the received file?
On desktop, open Devices → Activity and find the failed transfer. Check that both devices are connected and that the receiver still allows that file category. Use Retry when that action is available. If the source file has moved or been deleted, restore an accessible copy or share the file again.
A retry starts another attempt; it does not guarantee success while the destination is unavailable. Read the resulting status before sending another copy. Clearing completed or failed activity only clears those activity entries; it is not a transfer repair.
For a completed desktop transfer, open Devices → Files. Use Search files or the origin-device filter to narrow the list. Check the filename and sending device, then use the file’s available Open action. A preview can help identify the right item, but it does not mean that the file has been opened in its destination app.
Files is a library of completed shared items, not a search across every folder on every paired device. A transfer still in progress belongs in Activity. On the phone, use Sync → Files as described above.
Get OGAD and OGAM, choose one source folder and one destination, then test one new file. Once that works, the next matching download can arrive on the device where you need it without another message to yourself.