Nearby radar + direct hand-off
File transfer that works without the internet.
On a shared Wi-Fi network, the iPhone, Android and Mac apps find each other and hand files off directly — no internet required. The browser does not discover devices; it sends and receives with a six-character code. Bluetooth is a same-platform fallback in the phone apps: Apple to Apple, Android to Android. Apart, the same sealed package rides the relay. Each file up to 50 MB.
Two paths, one sealed hand-off
1 · Direct hand-off (same Wi-Fi, no internet). The native apps run a nearby radar over the local network (Bonjour on iOS and Mac, NSD on Android). On phones, Bluetooth also discovers same-platform pairs — iPhone to iPhone, Android to Android. Devices you meet appear on the radar; the file moves device-to-device over the local network. No internet connection involved.
2 · Sealed relay (any connection). When the devices aren't on the same network, Space. moves the same end-to-end-encrypted package over the internet. The relay stores sealed bytes and a lookup id, not the code. The key is derived on your device from the six-character drop code.
Both paths are end-to-end encrypted. No account needed nearby. Sign in only to send far. The app picks the best path automatically; you just share a code or tap a name on the radar.
How to transfer files without internet, in 3 steps
- Both devices join the same Wi-Fi network (or one shares a personal hotspot and the other joins it).
- Open Space. on both — nearby devices appear on the radar within seconds, no pairing.
- Tap the device, pick the file, done. The transfer goes directly over the local network.
Where offline transfer earns its keep
- Planes, trains and road trips. No signal? Doesn't matter — the hand-off never touches the internet.
- Hotel and conference Wi-Fi. Networks that isolate devices or meter your data can't interfere with a local hand-off.
- Field work. Photographers, surveyors and crews on site move footage between devices with no coverage at all.
- Privacy-sensitive rooms. A direct local transfer leaves no server-side trace of the file at all — the sealed relay already couldn't read it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I transfer files without internet?
Yes — when both devices are on the same Wi-Fi. Space. discovers them over the local network and hands files off directly. On different networks, it falls back to the sealed relay over any available connection.
How does Space. find devices nearby?
Local-network discovery — Bonjour on iOS and Mac, NSD on Android. On phones, Bluetooth also finds same-platform devices beyond Wi-Fi: iPhone to iPhone, Android to Android. Devices you meet appear on the radar and can receive a drop with a tap. No pairing, no QR dance.
Is a direct hand-off as safe as an encrypted upload?
Yes. Both paths are end-to-end encrypted with a key derived on your device from the drop code. Direct mode never leaves the local network; the relay stores sealed bytes and a lookup id, not the code.
Does this work on hotel or conference Wi-Fi?
Guest Wi-Fi that isolates devices blocks direct hand-off, but Space. still works via the sealed relay over any internet. With no working internet either, put both devices on a personal hotspot and use the direct path.
No internet? No problem.
Radar finds the device, the local network does the rest. And when you're apart, sealed relay picks it up.