Is Pushbullet still working? Partly. The service is online and the Android app is still on Google Play, but the Chrome extension’s store page says the item is not available, Portal was shut down in 2021 and there is no iPhone app. Here is what I could confirm on October 15, 2026, piece by piece.
One caution: I checked availability, dates and documented limits, not whether each piece works on every phone and browser. If you’re looking for a replacement, see Pushbullet alternatives in 2026.
Pushbullet status by piece
| Piece | Status as of October 15, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Website and sign-in | Online: pushbullet.com loads and offers sign-in.[1] |
| Android app | Listed on Google Play; last updated August 27, 2025.[2] |
| Chrome extension | The extension link on Pushbullet’s apps page leads to a Chrome Web Store page that says the item is not available.[3][4] |
| Firefox add-on | Listed on Mozilla Add-ons; last updated March 25, 2023.[5] |
| Windows app | Still linked from Pushbullet’s apps page.[3] |
| iPhone app | Not listed on the apps page.[3] Dropped in January 2020.[6] |
| Portal | Closed in October 2021.[7] |
Pushbullet APK: is the app still on Google Play?
Yes. Pushbullet is listed on Google Play as “Pushbullet: SMS on PC and more”, shows more than 5 million downloads, and was last updated on August 27, 2025 with the note “Little fix for Android 16.”[2] The newest Pushbullet upload on APKMirror, version 18.12.2 beta, has the same date.[8]
Pushbullet’s apps page links its Android app to Google Play, not to a downloadable APK file.[3] I couldn’t find an official APK download, so any site offering one is hosting a copy. I can’t vouch for any copy, so install from Google Play where you can. If Play won’t install the app on your phone, ask Pushbullet’s support before sideloading a file from somewhere else.
Pushbullet Portal (Portal by Pushbullet): closed in 2021
Portal was Pushbullet’s separate app for moving files between a computer and a phone. Pushbullet announced on October 4, 2021 that it was closing Portal, and that the main Pushbullet app was not affected. The post gives two reasons: Android’s move to Scoped Storage no longer fit how Portal placed files in shared storage, and, starting with Chrome 94, Chrome blocks HTTP requests to local IP addresses, which Portal relied on through a server running on the phone. Portal shut down on October 8, 2021 and its Android app had already been unpublished.[7] When I checked, portal.pushbullet.com redirected to that announcement.
To move files from a computer to a phone over your Wi-Fi today, LocalSend is free and open source, has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, needs no account, and encrypts transfers with HTTPS.[9] KDE Connect also shares files and links.[10] Both work over a local network. For devices that aren’t in the same place, you need something that goes over the internet, such as the options in this LocalSend guide.
Pushbullet iOS: is there an iPhone app?
Pushbullet’s apps page lists Android, Chrome, Firefox and Windows, and no iPhone app.[3] Android Police reported in October 2022 that Pushbullet dropped its iOS app in January 2020.[6] If you use an iPhone, look at tools that do have iPhone apps: KDE Connect has an iPhone app, though its documentation lists notification sync and SMS as missing on iOS,[11][12] LocalSend has an iOS app, and Pushover covers iPhone and iPad.[13] fwd doesn’t have an iPhone app either.
Pushbullet Chrome extension: what happened?
Chrome disabled Manifest V2 extensions for all users with Chrome 138 on July 24, 2025, they stopped functioning on Chrome 139 and later, and Google removed all remaining Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store on August 31, 2026.[14] Pushbullet hasn’t explained what happened to its extension that I could find; its blog’s latest post is from October 2022.[15] The store page being unavailable fits the Manifest V2 shutdown, but that is my inference. The Firefox add-on is still listed.[5] A third-party extension, Push Go for Pushbullet, is in the Chrome Web Store and says it is not affiliated with Pushbullet; it asks for an access token to your Pushbullet account, so read its permissions first.[16]
Pushbullet not working: what to check
- Which piece broke? If it’s the Chrome extension, the unavailable store page above is the likely reason, not your settings. The Android app and the website are separate pieces.
- Free plan limits. Pushbullet’s free plan lists files up to 25 MB, 2 GB of storage and 100 messages a month (SMS, WhatsApp and similar); Pro raises these and costs $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year.[17] Its API documentation says free accounts are limited to 500 pushes a month and that sending past that returns an error.[18]
- How old the app is. The last Android release was August 2025 and the blog’s last post is October 2022.[2][15] If something broke after a phone or browser update, don’t count on a quick fix.
Is it safe to keep using?
Pushbullet’s API documentation lists optional end-to-end encryption for notification mirroring, universal copy and paste, and SMS; it doesn’t list links or files.[18] Whether that matters depends on what you send. Pushbullet looks slow-moving rather than shut down: I found no announcement that it is closing. If privacy or active maintenance matters to you, compare the alternatives.
Where fwd fits
I’m building fwd (pronounced “forward”) for the part of Pushbullet I missed most: sending links, text and files between my browser and phone, and finding them again later. It isn’t a full Pushbullet replacement. Here is what it does today.
- Where it runs: a Chrome extension (Chrome 121 or later; it also works in other Chromium browsers such as Comet, Dia, Arc, Edge and Brave), an Android app for Android 8 or later, and a macOS menu bar app for macOS 14 or later (Apple silicon and Intel, signed and notarized) that receives while the browser is closed, as long as it is running and the Mac is awake and online. The Android app is in closed testing on Google Play: you join a Google Group, opt in as a tester, then install from Play. Downloads.
- What it sends: links, text and files in any direction between your own devices, to one device or to all of them. It works over the internet, so the devices don’t need to share a Wi-Fi network or be online at the same time; the server holds only ciphertext until delivery.
- Privacy: content is encrypted on your device and the server can’t read it. The service still sees operational data such as your email address. How the encryption works.
- Sign-in and new devices: your email plus a one-time code, with no Google account needed to sign in (the Android install currently goes through Google Play). You add a device by scanning a QR code or matching emojis on a device that’s already signed in.
- Availability and price: a private beta, so new accounts need an invite code; invitations go to the waitlist in batches starting October 16, 2026. It’s free during the beta and the free plan continues afterwards: 25 MB per file, 1 GB of storage and 5 devices. The first 100 accounts to finish setup become founding members, with 100 MB files, 5 GB and 10 devices, free for as long as fwd runs.
- Not included yet: an iPhone app, a native Windows or Linux app, a Firefox extension, notification mirroring, sending SMS from your computer, automatic clipboard sync, a public API and importing Pushbullet history. Clipboard text can be sent manually. On Windows and Linux, the Chrome extension is the option, with the browser running.
Read Pushbullet alternatives in 2026 for a fuller comparison, or join the waitlist.
Related guides
- Pushbullet alternatives in 2026: what still works
- KDE Connect alternatives: options beyond the same network
- AirDroid alternatives for file transfer, remote control and sharing
- LocalSend alternatives for sharing beyond your Wi-Fi
- Intel Unison alternatives after the shutdown
Sources
Checked on October 15, 2026.
- Pushbullet - Your devices working better together. Pushbullet.
- Pushbullet: SMS on PC and more - Apps on Google Play. Google Play.
- Pushbullet - Your devices working better together (apps page). Pushbullet.
- Item not available (Pushbullet extension link). Chrome Web Store.
- Pushbullet - Get this Extension for Firefox (en-US). Mozilla Add-ons.
- Pushbullet says it has to fight Play Store’s automated oversight to stay on Android. Android Police, October 30, 2022.
- Closing The Portal App. Pushbullet Blog, October 4, 2021.
- Pushbullet uploads. APKMirror.
- LocalSend: Share files to nearby devices. LocalSend.
- KDE Connect. KDE.
- KDEConnect - KDE UserBase Wiki. KDE.
- KDE Connect App - App Store. Apple App Store.
- Pushover: Pricing. Pushover.
- Manifest V2 support timeline. Chrome for Developers.
- Pushbullet Blog. Pushbullet.
- Push Go for Pushbullet - Chrome Web Store. Chrome Web Store.
- Pushbullet - Your devices working better together (Pro page). Pushbullet.
- Pushbullet API. Pushbullet.