Do my files pass through or get saved on any server?

No. Nearsend is strictly a peer-to-peer (P2P) platform. The signaling server is only used to exchange temporary session tokens and WebRTC handshake coordinates. Once connected, your files, text, and clipboard stream directly between your devices via WebRTC DataChannels in 64KB encrypted chunks.

How does the Voice Pairing work securely?

When you generate a voice pairing phrase, the host device creates an ephemeral 3-minute token. When spoken on the guest device, browser speech recognition converts the acoustic phrase into the token. The server validates the match and immediately triggers an explicit confirmation prompt on the host device before any connection is allowed.

Does Nearsend work across different operating systems?

Yes! Nearsend works seamlessly across any modern web browser — Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, iPadOS, and ChromeOS. No native apps or software installations are required.

Is there a file size limit on Nearsend?

Because transfers stream directly via WebRTC without hitting a central server memory limit, you can send files ranging from kilobytes to multi-gigabyte videos. Nearsend incorporates backpressure flow control to ensure smooth transmission without exhausting device RAM.

Why a File Transfer Still Needs an Internet Connection, Even in the Same Room

September 20, 2026

It seems like it should be the easiest case: two phones, side by side, on the same desk. Surely they don't need the internet just to talk to each other? For a browser-based transfer, they actually do — and it's worth understanding exactly why, because it's not a rough edge that a future update fixes.

Finding each other still needs a handshake

Opening a direct WebRTC connection starts with two browsers exchanging a small amount of setup information through a signaling server, so each side learns how to reach the other. That handshake has to happen before any direct connection can open — no matter how physically close the two devices are.

Browsers don't get the same local-network access native apps do

A native app like AirDrop can lean on Bluetooth or local-network discovery that's built into the operating system — it can quietly notice another nearby device without asking anyone's permission first. A browser tab, by design, doesn't get that kind of low-level access; browsers are deliberately sandboxed away from your device's Bluetooth radio and local network scanning for security reasons. So a browser-based tool has to reach out to a server on the internet to coordinate the introduction, even for two devices an arm's length apart.

Once connected, the data path can still be short

This limitation is specifically about the handshake, not the actual transfer. Once two devices are paired and the connection opens, if they happen to be on the same Wi-Fi network, the file data itself will typically take the shortest available route between them — the internet dependency is front-loaded into the setup step, not the whole transfer.

Why this is stated plainly instead of glossed over

It would be easy to market around this — plenty of tools imply a wireless transfer works with no network at all. It doesn't, here or anywhere a browser is doing the connecting, and pretending otherwise just sets someone up to be confused when it doesn't work in a dead zone. Both devices need some internet connection, even if it's not the same one.

What this means in practice

The requirement is looser than it sounds: it doesn't have to be the same network. One phone on Wi-Fi and another on mobile data works fine, because each only needs its own route to the internet — they don't need to share a network, just each have one.