Wyre — Android

Peer-to-peer file transfer for Android

Same protocol as the desktop app. Same UI. Fully cross-compatible.

Overview

Wyre for Android is a Capacitor 6 application that runs the same TypeScript/HTML/CSS UI as the desktop app inside a native WebView, backed by a Kotlin native layer that handles all networking, file I/O, and Android system integration.

The result is a native Android app that is 100% protocol-compatible with the desktop app — you can send files from Android to macOS, Windows to Android, or any combination.

✨ Features

Feature	Details
Automatic discovery	UDP broadcast on port `49152` — same protocol as desktop
File send	Intent-based file picker (`ACTION_GET_CONTENT`) with multi-select
Folder send	`ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE` picker; folder is zipped via `DocumentFile` (scoped storage compatible)
Accept / Decline	30-second countdown dialog on incoming transfers
Real-time progress	Live KB/s speed and ETA per transfer
Transfer resume	Paused transfers resume from the last byte
SHA-256 verification	Every received file is checksummed; corrupted files are rejected
Transfer cancellation	Cancel from sender or receiver side at any time
Transfer history	Full log of completed, failed, and cancelled transfers (500 entries)
Clipboard sharing	Send clipboard text directly to another device over TCP
Built-in chat	Real-time text and file messaging with any discovered device
OS notifications	Native Android notifications via `@capacitor/local-notifications`
Background service	Optional foreground service keeps discovery and transfers running when the app is backgrounded
Auto-accept	Whitelist trusted device IDs for hands-free transfers
Dark / Light / System theme	Shared with desktop — respects Android system theme
Open / Show in folder	Open received files with the system viewer or navigate to Downloads

🏗 Architecture

AndroidApp/
├── src/                                  # TypeScript / WebView layer
│   ├── bridge/
│   │   ├── WyrePlugin.ts                 # Typed Capacitor plugin registration
│   │   └── AppBridge.ts                  # Replaces desktop IpcClient — same API surface
│   ├── renderer/                         # Shared WebView UI (identical to desktop)
│   │   ├── components/                   # DeviceCard, TransferItem, IncomingDialog…
│   │   ├── views/                        # HomeView, TransfersView, ChatView, SettingsView
│   │   ├── styles/                       # tokens + components (shared) + android.css
│   │   └── index.ts                      # Bootstrap — uses AppBridge instead of IpcClient
│   └── shared/                           # Models + utils (identical to desktop)
│
└── android/
    └── app/src/main/java/com/wyre/app/
        ├── MainActivity.kt               # Capacitor BridgeActivity entry point
        ├── WyrePlugin.kt                 # @CapacitorPlugin — exposes all methods to JS
        ├── WyrePluginBridge.kt           # Singleton bridge between plugin and service
        ├── WyreService.kt                # Android foreground service (background mode)
        ├── WyreManager.kt                # Central coordinator — owns all services
        ├── DiscoveryService.kt           # UDP broadcast + listen (port 49152)
        ├── TransferServer.kt             # TCP server — accepts incoming connections
        ├── TransferClient.kt             # TCP client — initiates outgoing transfers
        ├── TransferModels.kt             # Sealed event classes + data models
        ├── ChatManager.kt                # Chat session manager
        └── SettingsStore.kt              # SharedPreferences wrapper

Layer Diagram

TypeScript (WebView)
    │  Capacitor.Plugins.WyrePlugin.method(args)
    ▼
WyrePlugin.kt  (@CapacitorPlugin)
    │  delegates to
    ▼
WyreManager.kt  (coordinator)
    ├── DiscoveryService.kt  (UDP)
    ├── TransferServer.kt    (TCP incoming)
    ├── TransferClient.kt    (TCP outgoing)
    ├── ChatManager.kt       (chat sessions)
    └── SettingsStore.kt     (SharedPreferences)

🔄 Desktop vs Android Comparison

Concern	Desktop	Android
Shell	Electron `BrowserWindow`	Capacitor `WebView`
IPC	`window.api` (contextBridge)	`AppBridge` → Capacitor plugin
UDP/TCP	Node.js `dgram` / `net`	Kotlin `DatagramSocket` / `Socket`
File I/O	Node.js `fs`	Android `InputStream` / `OutputStream`
File picker	Drag-and-drop + `<input>`	`Intent.ACTION_GET_CONTENT`
Folder picker	Native dialog	`Intent.ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE`
Folder zip	Node.js `archiver`	`DocumentFile` + `ZipOutputStream`
Settings	`electron-store`	`SharedPreferences`
Notifications	`electron` native	`@capacitor/local-notifications`
Background	N/A	Android foreground service
Encryption	`node:crypto` (ECDH + AES-GCM)	`javax.crypto` (ECDH + AES-GCM)

🌐 Network Protocol

The Android app implements the exact same protocol as the desktop app.

Discovery — UDP port 49152

Every device broadcasts a JSON announcement every 3 seconds using DatagramSocket with directed broadcast (computed from the active network interface's subnet mask):

{
  "id": "uuid-v4",
  "name": "Pixel 8",
  "platform": "android",
  "port": 49200,
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "encryptionSupported": true
}

Devices not seen for 10 s → marked offline
Devices offline for 60 s → removed from registry

Transfer — TCP (dynamic port, default 49200)

Identical wire format to the desktop app. The TransferServer listens on a TCP port and routes incoming connections by the type field in the JSON header:

`type` field	Routed to
(absent / file)	File transfer handler
`"clipboard"`	`onClipboardReceived` callback
`"chat_handshake"`	`ChatManager.handleIncomingConnection()`

Scoped Storage (Android 10+)

Folder sends use DocumentFile to traverse content:// URIs from ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE, which is the only way to read directories on Android 10+ with scoped storage. Each file is read via ContentResolver.openInputStream() and streamed into a ZipOutputStream in the app's cache directory before sending.

📡 Capacitor Plugin API

WyrePlugin exposes the following methods to the TypeScript layer. All methods are called via Capacitor.Plugins.WyrePlugin.

Settings

Method	Payload	Returns	Description
`getSettings`	—	`AppSettings`	Get all current settings
`setSettings`	`Partial<AppSettings>`	—	Update one or more settings

Discovery

Method	Payload	Returns	Description
`getDevices`	—	`{ devices: Device[] }`	Get currently online devices
`startDiscovery`	—	—	Start UDP broadcast + listen
`stopDiscovery`	—	—	Stop UDP broadcast + listen

File Transfer

Method	Payload	Returns	Description
`sendFile`	`{ deviceId, filePath, fileName, fileSize }`	`{ transferId }`	Send a single file
`sendFolder`	`{ deviceId, folderUri, folderName }`	`{ transferId }`	Zip and send a folder
`cancelTransfer`	`{ transferId }`	—	Cancel an active transfer
`resumeTransfer`	`{ transferId }`	—	Resume a paused transfer
`respondToIncoming`	`{ transferId, accepted, savePath? }`	—	Accept or decline an incoming request

File Picker

Method	Payload	Returns	Description
`pickFile`	—	`{ files: FileInfo[] }`	Open system file picker (multi-select)
`pickFolder`	—	`{ path, uri }`	Open system folder picker

Clipboard

Method	Payload	Returns	Description
`sendClipboard`	`{ deviceId, text }`	—	Send clipboard text to a device

Chat

Method	Payload	Returns	Description
`chatOpenSession`	`{ deviceId }`	`{ sessionId }`	Open a chat session with a device
`chatCloseSession`	`{ sessionId }`	—	Close a chat session
`chatSendText`	`{ sessionId, text }`	`ChatMessage`	Send a text message
`chatSendFile`	`{ sessionId, fileName, fileSize, base64 }`	`ChatMessage`	Send a file in chat
`chatEditMessage`	`{ sessionId, messageId, newText }`	—	Edit a sent message
`chatDeleteMessage`	`{ sessionId, messageId }`	—	Delete a sent message
`chatAcceptInvite`	`{ sessionId }`	—	Accept an incoming chat invite
`chatDeclineInvite`	`{ sessionId }`	—	Decline an incoming chat invite
`chatGetSessions`	—	`{ sessions }`	Get all chat sessions
`chatMarkRead`	`{ sessionId }`	—	Mark a session as read
`chatSaveFile`	`{ fileName, base64 }`	`{ path }`	Save a chat file to Downloads

History

Method	Payload	Returns	Description
`getHistory`	—	`{ history: TransferRecord[] }`	Get transfer history
`clearHistory`	—	—	Clear transfer history

Shell

Method	Payload	Returns	Description
`openFile`	`{ path }`	—	Open a file with the system viewer
`showInFolder`	`{ path }`	—	Open the Downloads folder

Events (pushed from native → JS)

Event	Payload	Description
`devicesUpdated`	`{ devices: Device[] }`	Device list changed
`incomingRequest`	`IncomingRequestPayload`	Incoming file transfer request
`transferStarted`	`TransferStartedPayload`	Transfer registered
`transferProgress`	`TransferProgressPayload`	Progress update (every 100 ms)
`transferComplete`	`TransferCompletePayload`	Transfer finished successfully
`transferError`	`TransferErrorPayload`	Transfer failed or cancelled
`clipboardReceived`	`{ senderName, text, truncated }`	Clipboard text received
`chatInvite`	`ChatInvitePayload`	Incoming chat invite
`chatMessage`	`ChatMessagePayload`	New chat message received

⚙️ Settings

All settings are persisted via SharedPreferences.

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`deviceId`	`string`	auto (UUID v4)	Unique device identifier
`deviceName`	`string`	`Build.MODEL`	Display name shown to peers
`transferPort`	`number`	`49200`	TCP port for incoming transfers
`saveDirectory`	`string`	`Downloads/`	Default save location
`theme`	`'dark' \| 'light' \| 'system'`	`'system'`	UI theme
`autoAccept`	`boolean`	`false`	Auto-accept from trusted devices
`trustedDeviceIds`	`string[]`	`[]`	Device IDs to auto-accept from
`autoDeclineTimeout`	`number`	`30`	Seconds before auto-declining
`showNotifications`	`boolean`	`true`	Android notifications
`backgroundService`	`boolean`	`false`	Keep running in background
`uiScale`	`number`	`1.0`	UI zoom factor

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Node.js 20+
Android Studio (Hedgehog or newer)
Android SDK 34
Java 17 (bundled with Android Studio)

Install

cd AndroidApp
npm install

Build the Web Layer

npm run build

Compiles TypeScript and bundles with Vite into dist/.

Sync to Android

npm run sync

Runs npm run build then npx cap sync android — copies the web bundle and Capacitor config into the Android project.

Open in Android Studio

npm run open

Opens the android/ project in Android Studio. From there you can run on a device or emulator, or build a release APK.

Type Check

npm run typecheck

Lint

npm run lint

🔐 Release Build

The release build is signed using environment variables. Set these before running ./gradlew assembleRelease:

export KEYSTORE_PATH=/path/to/keystore.jks
export KEYSTORE_PASS=your_store_password
export KEY_ALIAS=wyre
export KEY_PASS=your_key_password

cd android
./gradlew assembleRelease

The signed APK will be at android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk.

📦 Dependencies

JavaScript / TypeScript

Package	Version	Purpose
`@capacitor/core`	`^6.0.0`	Capacitor runtime
`@capacitor/android`	`^6.0.0`	Android platform
`@capacitor/local-notifications`	`^6.0.0`	Native notifications
`@capacitor/filesystem`	`^6.0.0`	File system access
`@capacitor/preferences`	`^6.0.0`	Key-value storage
`@fortawesome/fontawesome-free`	`6.5.0`	UI icons

Android (Gradle)

Dependency	Version	Purpose
`com.capacitorjs:core`	`6.1.0`	Capacitor Android runtime
`androidx.appcompat:appcompat`	`1.6.1`	AppCompat
`androidx.core:core-ktx`	`1.12.0`	Kotlin extensions
`androidx.webkit:webkit`	`1.9.0`	WebView
`androidx.activity:activity-ktx`	`1.8.2`	ActivityResult API
`androidx.documentfile:documentfile`	`1.0.1`	Scoped storage / `content://` URIs

🔒 Permissions

The app requests the following Android permissions:

Permission	Reason
`INTERNET`	TCP/UDP networking
`ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE`	Detect active network interface for directed broadcast
`ACCESS_WIFI_STATE`	Same
`CHANGE_WIFI_MULTICAST_STATE`	UDP multicast/broadcast
`READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE`	Read files to send (API < 33)
`WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE`	Save received files (API < 29)
`READ_MEDIA_IMAGES` / `READ_MEDIA_VIDEO` / `READ_MEDIA_AUDIO`	Granular media access (API 33+)
`POST_NOTIFICATIONS`	Transfer notifications (API 33+)
`FOREGROUND_SERVICE`	Background service
`FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC`	Background service type (API 34+)

🎨 UI

The Android app uses the same TypeScript/HTML/CSS UI as the desktop app, with one addition: android.css overrides layout and interaction patterns for mobile:

Bottom navigation bar instead of sidebar
Touch-optimised tap targets
Full-screen views
Android-style back navigation

Part of the Wyre project · MIT License · Built by MBVRK

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

Wyre — Android

Overview

✨ Features

🏗 Architecture

Layer Diagram

🔄 Desktop vs Android Comparison

🌐 Network Protocol

Discovery — UDP port 49152

Transfer — TCP (dynamic port, default 49200)

Scoped Storage (Android 10+)

📡 Capacitor Plugin API

Settings

Discovery

File Transfer

File Picker

Clipboard

Chat

History

Shell

Events (pushed from native → JS)

⚙️ Settings

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Install

Build the Web Layer

Sync to Android

Open in Android Studio

Type Check

Lint

🔐 Release Build

📦 Dependencies

JavaScript / TypeScript

Android (Gradle)

🔒 Permissions

🎨 UI

FilesExpand file tree

README.md

Latest commit

History

README.md

File metadata and controls

Wyre — Android

Overview

✨ Features

🏗 Architecture

Layer Diagram

🔄 Desktop vs Android Comparison

🌐 Network Protocol

Discovery — UDP port 49152

Transfer — TCP (dynamic port, default 49200)

Scoped Storage (Android 10+)

📡 Capacitor Plugin API

Settings

Discovery

File Transfer

File Picker

Clipboard

Chat

History

Shell

Events (pushed from native → JS)

⚙️ Settings

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Install

Build the Web Layer

Sync to Android

Open in Android Studio

Type Check

Lint

🔐 Release Build

📦 Dependencies

JavaScript / TypeScript

Android (Gradle)

🔒 Permissions

🎨 UI