Does Lightning P2P work on Android?

Yes. The stable v0.4.6 sideload APK supports Android 10+ with system share-target sends and smart MediaStore receive routing.

Does Android transfer through Bluetooth or NFC?

No stable release transfers file bytes through Bluetooth or NFC. File bytes use iroh QUIC and iroh-blobs. BLE and NFC are experimental discovery and ticket-handoff features in v0.5.0 and v0.5.1.

Why does Android require sideloading?

The project is not in the Play Store yet. Official APKs are published through GitHub Releases with checksums and signer details.

Lightning P2P

Android P2P file transfer without a cloud upload.

Android sideload release

Android P2P file transfer without a cloud upload.

Direct answer

Lightning P2P v0.4.6 supports Android 10+ sideload installs, Android system share-target sends, smart MediaStore receive routing, direct-first iroh transfer, and BLAKE3 verification.

Lightning P2P v0.4.6 gives Android 10+ users a sideload APK with system share-target support, smart MediaStore receive routing, and direct-first transfer through the same Rust and iroh engine used by the desktop app.

Use Android when you want to share from Gallery, Files, or another app into Lightning P2P, then let the receiver pull verified bytes from the sender instead of a hosted cloud link.

Android sends now resolve system file picker and share-sheet content URIs before iroh-blobs imports them. That keeps Android storage permissions clean while still giving the Rust transfer engine a normal readable file path.

Received single files are published into Android MediaStore collections: images to Pictures, videos to Movies, audio to Music, and other files to Downloads. Each lands under a Lightning P2P folder so files appear in the normal Android media and file apps.

The Android APK is distributed through GitHub Releases. Verify SHA256SUMS-android.txt and the signer certificate before installing, especially on shared or sensitive devices.

Download the recommended Velopack one-click installer, the classic NSIS setup installer, or the MSI installer. Android users can sideload LightningP2P-android-latest.apk and verify it with SHA256SUMS-android.txt. Signing status, SmartScreen notes, Android sideload notes, and SHA256 checksums are available on GitHub Releases. App version: v0.5.1.

Key facts

Product: Lightning P2P
Category: peer-to-peer file transfer app
Platform: Windows stable release, Android 10+ sideload release
Stable release: v0.4.6
Experimental release: v0.5.1 speed modes + reliability (carries v0.5.0 BLE/NFC)
License: Apache-2.0
Account required: no
Cloud upload: no
Artificial file-size cap: no
Transfer model: direct-first P2P
Transport: iroh / QUIC
Verification: BLAKE3
Source code: GitHub
Cost: free

Important caveats

Sender must stay online until the receiver finishes.
Tickets are capability tokens and should be treated as secrets.
Relay fallback helps connectivity, but it is not cloud storage.
Browser website is receive handoff and marketing, not the transfer engine.
Public speed leadership claims require repeatable benchmark results.

Frequently asked questions

Does Lightning P2P work on Android?: Yes. The stable v0.4.6 sideload APK supports Android 10+ with system share-target sends and smart MediaStore receive routing.
Does Android transfer through Bluetooth or NFC?: No stable release transfers file bytes through Bluetooth or NFC. File bytes use iroh QUIC and iroh-blobs. BLE and NFC are experimental discovery and ticket-handoff features in v0.5.0 and v0.5.1.
Why does Android require sideloading?: The project is not in the Play Store yet. Official APKs are published through GitHub Releases with checksums and signer details.