Skip to main content

WaferApp makes file sharing as easy as a fist bump, when it works

If you’re like us, you have files all over the place — tablets, phones, computers, hard drives. It’s never easy transferring and managing files between devices. We’re often stuck sending emails to ourselves or waiting for an upload to Dropbox to sync just so we can download something on another device. A man named Pulkit Madan believes he has the missing key to moving files, and it’s called WaferApp.

With WaferApp, file transfers are done in just a tap. To transfer files from your phone to computer, bump the phone against the spacebar. For phone to phone, it just takes a shake. You don’t need a phone capable of fancy NFC transfers or anything.

Recommended Videos

To transfer files to your computer, bump the phone against the spacebar. For phone to phone, it just takes a shake.

“There are three parts to WaferApp,” explains Madan, the company’s co-founder and CEO. “The app running on your device, the WaferApp application that is running in the browser, and a smart matching algorithm running on our servers in the cloud.” The these three parts work together, creating an invisible bridge for files.

It’s the sensors in your smartphone that serve as the tollbooth, allowing photos, documents, and the like to move freely between devices as dictated. When the phone sensors “feel” the shake or tap, it sends the files you want to move up into the cloud. A matching algorithm waits for the green light of the motion-triggered command and quickly routes the incoming files to it. Once the file is on the second device, it remains until you remove it manually. Madan assured that “the file is instantly removed from our cloud servers after the transfer is completed,” so it doesn’t remain floating in the ether for too long.

To make the whole process work, you’ll have to allow location information to be shared from your browser and in the app. “We gather as much possible information from the browser about the location of the computer and same with the phone, and pair them up to complete the transfers,” Madan explains.

This understandably may raise some privacy concerns. Aside from worrying about what data exactly is being gathered from the browser and device, data leaks are a fear. The files are moving between two trusted devices, but the possibility of another swooping in and snagging something of value persists when there isn’t a clear indication that the connection is secure.

Madan believes WaferApp creates a tight enough connection to combat any worries. “We have tried to make it as secure and accurate as possible and having been improving each day as the usage increases. We use an encryption system to encrypt files that you send using an RSA 2048 encryption. As far as the connection security is concerned we try our best to find the perfect match and in case it fails, we will ask you to tap or shake again.” It’s his hope that this is enough to stop potential false positives that would result in data transferring out of turn or to the wrong place

Make no mistake, WaferApp is still a work in progress. In our testing, the Android app crashed on several occasions and retrieving transferred files was not always as easy as promised. But for an app in the early stages of its existence, it’s promising.

We’ve seen similar services pop up before in the past—the now defunct Bump comes to mind as the most prominent example—and for whatever reason the digital high five just hasn’t caught on. But most services like it focus on moving files between friends. WaferApp is capable of that, of course, but the utility seems to be in moving your own files between computer and smartphone. The process is fewer taps than most services and requires no cords.

Should WaferApp manage to work out the kinks and provide the peace of mind needed for handling files, it could be a handy tool for moving files without hassle. It’s available for Android, iOS, and through a Web app. If it can hammer down the functionality, it’ll be worthy of a fist bump of its own.

AJ Dellinger
AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…
Apple’s AI notification feature is making up news
iPhone 16 Pro homescreen with an Apple Intelligence Notification Summary

With the launch of Apple Intelligence and iOS 18.1, Apple introduced summarized notifications to assist users in managing notification overload. These notifications group alerts and display only the essential details. However, the BBC has recently pointed out that these notifications, particularly news alerts, do not consistently deliver accurate information.
What summarized notifications are supposed to do
In iOS 18.1 and later, instead of being overwhelmed with individual notifications, you can receive them bundled into a single, summarized notification. This feature is handy for group chats and news updates.

The summaries utilize AI to identify and present the most critical information. For instance, a summary might indicate when a group chat is especially active or highlight breaking news you should be aware of.

Read more
This iOS 18 feature shares your photos with Apple. How to turn it off
A close-up of the Apple Photos app on an iPhone 16.

A relatively new Apple feature makes visual search much more powerful. It also raises privacy concerns, according to developer Jeff Johnson.

Starting with iOS 18 and macOS 15, Apple introduced Enhanced Visual Search (EVS) in the Photos app. This new technology builds on the company’s existing Visual Look Up (VLU) feature, enabling your device to identify landmarks and points of interest in your photos. In doing so, it enhances visual search functionality, allowing you to leave prompts like “Show me photos from the beach” or “Show me photos of sunsets.”

Read more
The YouTube mobile app is getting a small redesign. Here’s what’s changing
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 playing a YouTube video.

How do you feel about the YouTube app on iOS and Android? Most of us use the app and don't think twice about it, but YouTube announced a lot of changes in October. Some of these planned updates have begun to roll out, and they're worth paying attention to — especially because one of them is difficult to notice. The updated bottom bar is a subtle change, but it adds a bit of flair.

The updated bottom bar is part of a server-side update, which means you don't have to download a new version of YouTube to see it. However, you should ensure you're using the latest version of the YouTube app. For Android, that's 19.47, and it's 19.49 for iOS. The update hasn't reached all devices yet — I still don't see it on my own phone — but it should be applied by the end of the day.

Read more