You can attach a file to an AI conversation on your phone and find it in the same conversation on your computer. OGAM (Off Grid AI Mobile) and OGAD (Off Grid AI Desktop) transfer chat attachments between paired devices automatically. After Pro setup and pairing, the transfer uses the connection between your devices, without a cloud-storage account.
| Get OGAM for Android | Get OGAM for iPhone | Get OGAD |
What would you like to do with Off Grid AI?
Have a feature or use case you would like us to support? Tell us what you want to do and which device you use.
Write to support@offgridmobileai.co, join our Slack community, or talk to us on Reddit.
This removes a familiar extra step. You add a reference image or document to a conversation, move to your computer, and continue there. You do not need to email the file to yourself and attach it to a second chat.
The automatic part begins after you attach and send the file. This workflow does not watch every photo or document on your phone.
What does attachment sync actually transfer?
Attachment sync transfers files that belong to synced chat messages. It preserves the relationship between the file, its message, and its conversation. The message can arrive before the file contents, so a visible chat is not proof that every attachment is ready.
There are several separate file workflows:
| File type | Where it belongs |
|---|---|
| File attached to a chat message | That message in the synced conversation |
| Document added to a project’s knowledge base | The project’s reference documents |
| AI-generated image | Its conversation and the image gallery |
| Screenshot or download from another app | Optional sharing rules, if you configure them |
You do not need to enable automatic sharing of your screenshot folder or downloads to sync an attachment that you deliberately send in an AI chat.
The mobile sync release introduced the shared workspace. The later shared-chat release also describes file-transfer progress in conversations.
What do you need before the first transfer?
Use current OGAM and OGAD versions with Pro access, enough free storage on both devices, and a reachable connection between them. For a first check, put the phone and computer on the same local network, keep the apps open, and keep the computer awake.
This guide uses the controls in OGAM 0.0.111 and OGAD 0.0.51. Mac and Windows both have the released Devices sync path. Android and Windows use the local-network route in this setup; Apple’s additional nearby route is not required.
Install the apps and finish licence setup while you have internet access. If you want to ask the receiving device about an image or document, also prepare the local model needed to interpret that content.
Transferring a photo does not install an image-understanding model. File availability and model capability are separate checks.
How do you pair the phone and computer?
In OGAD, open Devices, make the computer discoverable, and choose Show QR Code. On the phone, open Settings → Sync, choose Scan pairing QR code, and scan the code. Follow the pairing prompts and wait for a connected status.
If you prefer code entry, select the computer from the nearby device list on the phone and enter its displayed pairing code.
Keep Find nearby devices enabled for the setup check. If the computer is absent, check the phone’s Device settings and use Rescan. A guest network or firewall may block local device traffic even when both devices have internet access.
Pair only devices you trust with the shared workspace. Chat and project sync is not limited to the one test file you are about to send.
How do you check an attachment transfer?
Use a small image that you can recognize on sight. Attach it to a new chat, send a short message, and then open the same conversation on the other device. Wait for the attachment to become available and open it there.
1. Prepare a harmless reference image
Use a simple image, such as a photo of a plant or a sketch. A small file is easier to check than a large recording, and a recognizable subject makes it clear whether the correct attachment arrived.
2. Attach it to a conversation
On the sending device, open a chat and use the attachment control to select the image. Send a brief message with it, such as:
Keep this as the reference image for the garden plan.
If the selected model needs image support to handle that message, select a suitable local vision model. Do not mistake an unsupported model response for a file-transfer failure.
3. Open the same chat on the other device
Find the conversation in Chats on OGAM or Chat in OGAD. Check that the message is present, then check the image attachment.
A pending attachment means the app knows which file belongs there but its contents are not yet ready. Leave the sending device connected and wait for the transfer to complete.
4. Open the received file
Open the image from the receiving conversation. Confirm that it contains the expected subject. Then, if desired, ask a follow-up question using a compatible local model on that device.
That last step checks two things separately: the file arrived, and the receiving model can use it. The two devices do not need to generate the same answer for the file transfer to have succeeded.
Where should you look for transferred attachments?
Look in the original chat message. Chat attachments are not necessarily listed as separate entries in the generic Files or Activity screens. Those screens also serve other transfer workflows, and an empty generic list does not mean a chat attachment was never sent.
Likewise, a message’s text can be available while its file is still in transit. Check the file itself before asking a question that depends on it.
Can the files move without internet?
Yes, after setup, when the devices still have a usable local connection. Keep local Wi-Fi or wired networking on and turn off mobile data for a disconnected check. Use a network whose internet connection is unavailable, then repeat the small attachment transfer.
A cloud chat model or an online document service may still need internet. The private file transfer does not remove those separate requirements.
A sleeping computer, a closed mobile app, or an isolated guest network can interrupt availability. Keep both apps open during the first transfer rather than depending on background operation.
What should you check if the file does not open?
| Symptom | Check and action |
|---|---|
| No conversation arrives | Check paired device status and the local network |
| Text arrives but the attachment is pending | Keep the source device connected and wait for the file bytes |
| The chat shows the file, but it cannot open | Check available storage and whether the transfer finished |
| The image opens, but the AI cannot describe it | Select a compatible vision model on the receiving device |
| Nothing appears in the Files tab | Open the original chat; attachments belong with their messages |
| Only new test files work | Confirm the old source files still exist and remain associated with their messages |
Keep the source copy until you have opened the received file. Sync is not a substitute for an independent backup of material you cannot replace.
What privacy choice are you making?
Pairing gives trusted devices access to the shared chat workspace, including its attachments. Current chat attachments are required sync data, rather than an optional folder-sharing category. Do not pair a device on the assumption that only one selected chat will be shared.
The file stays within the direct device-transfer workflow described here. Exporting it to another app, sharing it onward, or sending it to a remote model is a separate action with its own data handling.
Get OGAD and pair it with OGAM. Attach one reference image on your phone, then open the same conversation on your computer. The next time you switch screens, your file can already be there.