Sharing things between the Mac and iOS devices has never been as easy as it should be. Even Apple’s own AirDrop can’t cross the platform boundary.
Pastebot used to be the go-to application for slinging text and images from the iPhone to the Mac, and back again.
However, Tapbots seems to have forgotten about the app. While it’s still for sale, Pastebot hasn’t been optimized for the iPhone 5’s taller screen, and its website still boasts iOS 4 compatibility.
Enter Command-C.
Command-C is a $3.99 universal app that takes what Pastebot did, updates it for the iOS 7 era, and adds some new tricks.
After downloading the iOS app, you’ll need to grab the free Mac app, which sits in your computer’s menu bar.
The initial act of setting up is easy. The iOS devices prompts you to download and open the Mac app, and the software takes it from there.
The apps talk to each other via Bonjour. There’s no Bluetooth required, so the hassle of pairing devices and remembering to keep Bluetooth on is non-existent.
With iOS 7’s new multi-tasking, you don’t have to worry about making sure the iOS app is awake before invoking a command from the Mac. Since it uses push notifications, Command-C is woken up automatically, on demand. Gone are the Pastebot-era days of opening the app, sitting your phone down, using the Mac app, and going back to the phone.
To send something from iOS to the Mac, simply copy the content and tap on the computer’s name from within the app, and the content will be shared automatically:
Instantly, the Mac app will show a push notification. In this case, I shared a photo:
Clicking on the notification will open the image in Preview (or whatever app is your default for .PNGs), while hitting CMD+V will paste the image itself, as Command-C content is automatically be placed on your Mac’s clipboard.
If text is sent to the Mac, the notification will show a preview of the text, which can then be pasted anywhere.
Sending data from the Mac is easy, too. If launched at login, the app sits, waiting for a key command — by default, it’s Command+Shift+X. Once triggered, the app will show a pop-over, and the arrow keys can be used to select the target device. Pressing Enter sends the content, and a push notification is fired:
In the Mac app’s settings, you can tell it to show a local notification that the content has been received.
If you’re a power user, Command-C offers a nice set of x-callback-url actions.
Command-C can even send and receive data between iOS devices. While iOS 7’s AirDrop can do this, I’ve found myself reaching for Command-C as it’s faster, and doesn’t require an app’s share sheet.
Command-C is yet another app in a long list of examples of third-party developers not only filling in the gaps between Apple’s offerings, but taking advantage of iOS 7 to disrupt a once-settled category.
In short, if it can be copied, Command-C can share it.