Stock Android needs MIUI’s file sharing feature

MIUI has been around for ages⁠—it was actually Xiaomi’s first product in 2011. Over the years, the Android skin was the first or one of the first to now adopt popular features such as scrolling screenshots, dual apps, and per-app volume control.

However, there is one under-the-radar MIUI feature that I’ve recently become a fan of, and that’s the integrated FTP functionality.

Read more: A look at all major Android skins

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and it is a long-standing standard for transferring files over a network between two devices. One device acts as an FTP server, while another device can browse the contents of the server/device. For example, you can have a PC as an FTP server and access the files over the network with a phone or another PC.

The kicker is that many Android smartphones don’t have native FTP server functionality – but Xiaomi’s file manager for both smartphones and tablets is the exception here. The integrated file manager has an FTP function conveniently tucked into the side menu. Once you’ve enabled it on your phone, just type the address provided into your computer’s file manager and you’re good to go. No additional apps needed.

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This feature is very useful because you can wirelessly browse the contents of your phone as if it were connected to your computer (ie using your PC’s file manager). That means you can navigate between the different folders, copying/pasting/deleting files and folders as you see fit. It also works over a local network, saving your internet bandwidth and data allocation.

FTP support is also widespread among desktop platforms, so you can use this method on Linux and Mac in addition to Windows. However, Android devices require an app to browse an FTP server, so you’ll have to rely on tools like Near Share for app-less Android-to-Android local file sharing instead.

In addition, FTP can be more convenient than email, messaging apps, and Google Drive when it comes to handling large numbers or sizes of files and folders. For example, Google Drive doesn’t support folder uploads on mobile devices, while the FTP functionality allows you to simply copy and paste like you would any other folder on your PC.

However, there is a huge downside to FTP, which is the fact that transfer speeds are not very fast and can vary greatly. For example, a 1.4GB file took just under four minutes to copy from a PC to the Poco F4 GT, although it took over eight minutes to transfer the other way around. In comparison, a wired transfer between PC and phone via USB 2.0 took about 40 seconds each way.

I found the speed sufficient for transferring a few gigabytes between PC and phone, although the limitations are not felt as sharply when transferring smaller files (eg music tracks, a few photos). It can also occasionally be faster than Share Close. Still, I appreciate the ability to go wireless for a period of local file sharing, although some people would understandably appreciate faster transfer speeds.

It’s also worth noting that FTP is a significant security risk, because content on the origin server and credentials can be viewed through basic attack techniques. Fortunately, there are some workarounds, such as the SFTP (secure file transfer protocol) standard. Nevertheless, it should be enough to temporarily enable FTP access on your own network and then disable it when the transfers are complete.

Another slightly disappointing move is the decision to remove FTP functionality from browsers such as Firefox and Google Chrome. But this won’t be a problem if you’re still viewing and transferring phone files through your PC’s file manager, which is my primary use case.

When it comes to alternatives to FTP, Google’s Near Share is a popular option. Google’s sharing tool can be noticeably faster than Xiaomi’s FTP functionality, although I’ve certainly experienced the opposite from time to time. But it is proprietary protocol and desktop compatibility is the real drawback compared to FTP as it only supports Chromebooks instead of Mac, Linux, and Windows machines. So you’re out of luck if you want to share mobile to PC here.

We’ve also seen OEM-specific Android-PC sharing solutions, starting with Huawei and Xiaomi. These are pretty seamless, but the glaring problem is that they only work between devices of the same brand. So you can seamlessly share files between a Xiaomi phone and a Xiaomi laptop, but not between a Huawei phone and a Xiaomi laptop.

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Another notable mobile-to-PC solution is Microsoft’s Your Phone functionality. However, the ability to wirelessly access your phone’s files on a Windows PC is limited to Samsung and Surface Duo devices. So you’re out of luck if you have a Mac or Linux computer, or if you don’t have a Samsung or Microsoft phone.

A final handy alternative to FTP functionality is the KDE Connect app, which allows you to do many tasks from your PC, such as browse your phone’s files, share links, receive phone notifications, and more. The downside to traditional FTP support is that KDE Connect requires an app to be installed on both PC and mobile.

A modern house for an old protocol

Xiaomi’s FTP-based implementation is quite seamless and is definitely one of the most useful solutions from a device-independent point of view. Obviously it’s not perfect as speed is its biggest weakness while security is another factor to keep in mind. However, the ability to wirelessly browse your phone’s content on your PC without the need for additional apps is certainly welcome.

It’s really the kind of feature we’d like to see on stock Android if Microsoft’s Your Phone file sharing feature doesn’t get extended to more smartphones or if Near Share doesn’t come to Windows and other desktop platforms. But on the other hand, even if those two scenarios arise, the pre-installed FTP functionality still gives these alternative solutions a run for their money in terms of convenience.

If you don’t have a Xiaomi phone or a phone with FTP functionality pre-installed, there are a few useful apps in the Play Store that you can try, including FTP server (by developer The Olive Tree) and MiXplorer our recommended picks.