According to Android Authority, Android's Quick Share feature for sending files wirelessly over the air is now officially compatible with AirDrop, without any help from Apple.
Not sure if itās not better to just use Quick Share now instead of
for Android - Android local network file sharing?
EDIT: Okay it works for Windows and ChromeOS too!
Damn, only Linux is missing regarding a parity with Localsend.
Local Send, AirDrop and all its derivatives are practically useless when using VPNs - something to be aware.
I know, realized it recently. Hence why Iām going the floppy USB way now. 
But itās at the same time a bit weird no?
I maybe expected them to āfound each other at the end of the VPN tunnelā?
I guess itās not a local network anymore then, more of a VPN pool of users. 
Hope its atleast Cryptomator encrypted.
Its an encrypted tunnel. No pool, just the same IP of many users. So, thatās why it canāt work. Tailscale could be an option but thatās too much work so might as well use shared Proton Drive folder or something.
Mostly to transfer things from time to time with a clean wipe if anything sensitive.
But otherwise, a .zip via Signal is also a simple alternative.
Syncthing is hard to setup given the situation with Android and I am yet to have a sturdy and nice local cloud to self-host.
And yes, Taildrop is also a good alternative but too much KYC to my liking.
Too much work, no? Simply unlocking the Cryptomator encrypted folder and adding and removing things from there feels much simpler in practice. Or like I said, your encrypted cloud drive/folder is another way.
But whatever works for you.
LocalSend is great (if a bit buggy) but theyāre not quite the same.
LocalSend requires both devices be connected to the same WiFi network. AirDrop does not. For that reason AirDrop is a lot easier to use when āout and about,ā like when sharing photos from someoneās phone to someone elseās phone when away from WiFi.
In those instances Signal is not preferred since (a) it compresses photos and videos and (b) it removes metadata from photos, meaning they will not auto organize correctly.
Yes I do agree. 
For Signal, I insisted on the .zip part + the removal of metadata is actually a positive for me haha, quick and simple way to have it done. 
I love that Signal removes metadata in general, but I wish there was a way to toggle it off. Most of the photos Iām sharing back and forth are with family members (e.g. after a birthday party), and having the metadata scrubbed in those instances isnāt ideal.
I recommend you use Ente Photos for this purpose. Just as private and secure if not more. Plus its purpose built for what youāre describing.
Every piece of toggle is also a potential failure point.
Having an app that is not too customizable allows to focus only on a few points and keep it consistent. Moreover, sometime the tech stack has a lot of impact on how hard a simple ātoggleā can be to implement.
Example: some database are not meant to have editable records (past a specific amount of time, or at all really) hence some websites canāt have a āsimple edit my messageā button.
But yes, you probably would enjoy having some 3rd party Google/Apple photos to share with your family.
Otherwise, you can always write the metadata back yourself or share a .zip. I know, itās not practicalā¦
Ooo, I wasnāt aware that I could do shared albums with a free Ente account. Iāll take a look, thanks!
Not that Ente doesnāt also deserve subscription revenue, but Iām already paying to back up my files with Proton and Tresorit and Iām not sure I can afford another monthly subscription 
Nonetheless, interoperability with AirDrop is a very good thing and I hope it spreads to more devices soon.
You get 10 GB for free. Very generous of them. So, you may not need to buy one depending on how many photos you have. Give it a try!
Yes. 
But itās not the most popular/known unfortunately, because this is not marketable per-se hence nobody truly cares. Otherwise Linux would be more popular.
But most people just want a specific task done, doesnāt matter if interop or not. 
10 GB is filed up pretty quickly nowadays given the quality of cameras we carry in our pockets. 
LocalSend has been my go-to for cross-platform sharing. Still side-eyeing the Google middleware, though. Has anyone actually verified the mixed-device transfers are proper E2E and not phoning home?
Google hired a third party firm to do penetration testing and verify itās following best practices and everything.