Dutch startup LiveDrop is increasing the size of offline file transfers enabled by its app on mobile devices via special QR codes that don’t require the two devices to connect to each other.
LiveDrop’s technology is unique in that it uses scrambling QR codes that constantly move to encode files that can then be decoded by scanning them from its app. The key to it all is the entirely disconnected one-to-one transfer in that no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or any other networking protocol makes it happen. The two devices could be in the middle of Antarctica or a long-haul flight and still transfer files between each other.
The only caveat so far is the size of those files. After hitting a high of 356kbps in 2024, LiveDrop is doubling to 700kbps in 2025. Still not large, by any means, but the company tells PetaPixel that it’s currently testing for 2.6Mbps transfers that may (or may not) be viable for users by the end of 2025. That would put it much closer to moving standard JPEGs from one phone to another with little hassle and no ruinous compression.
The Optics Involved
When I first saw the technology at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, I immediately noted how agnostic the whole thing was. It didn’t matter if an iPhone and Android phone were involved, and ostensibly, the same would be true of Windows and Mac computers. There is no LiveDrop app for Mac, though the one for iPad is a workaround on a Mac. On Windows, there’s a suite that’s aimed more at commercial use, costing 10 Euros per user, per year. An SDK (software development kit) is also available for 15 euros monthly.
Two of the determining factors in evolving this technology are none other than the optics and image sensors themselves. Quality optics in cameras influence transfer speeds, so the higher the quality of the optics, the more they can capture granular details in QR codes to enable faster and more efficient data transfers.
“If you use specific cameras, like camera bodies with 600mm lenses, you can go over 230 meters,” says Martijn Antzoulatos-Borgstein, senior sales director for defense and security at LiveDrop. “If you use more specific optics, still commercial, off the shelf, but more tailored for specific use, you can go to 700 meters.”
He adds that the company is experimenting with “specific telescopes” to validate how well this could work over miles of distance. If it works, there are also implications for national defense and military exercises or conflicts where different systems and platforms can share data in an air gap manner. That would mean free of interference from the cloud and without the risk of jamming, spoofing, or interception. It’s also testing grey and blue tones, as well as infrared, to see how different types of cameras and lenses can pick up codes, including at night.
“If you have a lower grade camera, you have to make the QR code level lower, like a level 20, so it means every frame contains less data,” he says. “Smartphone cameras are better suited for short-range transfers at about 13 meters or less. The wider apertures typically associated with phone cameras make them best suited for short-range, low-speed transfers, whereas high-end cameras with interchangeable lenses enable longer-range and faster transfers.”
Photo Transfers from Cameras
So, does that mean we’ll see the technology on mirrorless cameras anytime soon? Not likely, though some preliminary talks have taken place. We can only speculate they may not buy in until file size transfers increase exponentially. Transferring photos from a camera to a phone is still a cumbersome multi-step process that affects workflow efficiency, so removing the ad hoc connectivity necessary to facilitate the transfer could help shave time off in doing so.
Image sensors also play a role, as do the processors. Cameras have an inherent advantage with the former, whereas phones win out on the latter. Full-frame and APS-C sensors can capture more light and detail to improve their ability to resolve high-level QR codes, but their built-in processors pale in comparison to the power of a smartphone chipset. Phone cameras need to be closer to capture the fine details, in part because the smaller sensors also wouldn’t be able to recognize them further away, either.
“The (LiveDrop) algorithm figures out how the pixels need to be put in place and rebuilt, basically on the receiving end to know exactly where they need to go,” says Antzoulatos-Borgstein. “If you have a building built on Lego pieces, and you break it down and remember where all the pieces should be, you build it up again in a different place, yet it looks exactly the same.”
While current sizes are so small that differences in transfer speed are largely imperceptible, the gap may widen as LiveDrop continues to double or triple the limit. In that case, the smaller sensor and cheaper optics of an affordable or mid-range phone might mean slower rates compared to a flagship with a larger sensor and better lenses.
RAW files on phones or cameras present a challenge due to their larger file sizes and limited file compression. LiveDrop is testing transfer speeds up to 6Mbps per second, which would bring it closer to more feasibly moving them. The question is whether a camera’s processor can make that work seamlessly. Moving a RAW photo to a phone, tablet, or computer for editing on the fly without any connectivity (or inserting a memory card) would feel like a game-changer for many photographers especially when there wouldn’t be any degradation in the process.
Reading the Codes Everywhere
Antzoulatos-Borgstein says wearables, including smart and AR glasses, present an opportunity to scan codes and receive files directly and discreetly without needing a phone. Additionally, now that computers will increasingly have NPUs (neural processing units), LiveDrop may be able to optimize how codes work relative to CPU, GPU, and NPU power for even smoother transfers to other devices.
There’s also the possibility of adding another layer of encryption and access rights, something users might prefer with certain codes or files. These “keys” could be temporary or permanent, leaving access open until a set expiration date. This way, LiveDrop could block a transfer if the requisite key isn’t in place. There’s still no connectivity necessary; it’s just more of a password to enable access.
For iOS and Android users, however, using the app is a simple as it gets. Pick a file, choose to share it, a moving QR code appears, and then someone else scans it. The cross-platform usability makes it one of the easiest ways to circumvent Apple’s walled garden and share with others no matter what they choose to have.
