bluetooth-sendto

bluetooth-sendto DEVICE_ADDRESS FILE1 [FILE2...]
Or: bluetooth-sendto (to launch GUI for device/file selection)

DEVICE_ADDRESS
    The Bluetooth MAC address of the target device (e.g., 00:11:22:33:44:55). The device must be discoverable and typically paired with the host system.

FILE1 [FILE2...]
    One or more paths to the files that should be sent to the target Bluetooth device.

bluetooth-sendto is a command-line utility used to transfer files to a Bluetooth-enabled device. It leverages the Object Exchange (OBEX) Push profile to facilitate the transfer. When invoked with a target device's MAC address and one or more file paths, it attempts to establish a connection and push the specified files. If no target device or file is provided, it typically launches a graphical user interface (GUI) dialog to allow the user to select the destination device and files interactively.

This command is commonly part of desktop environment Bluetooth integration packages like gnome-bluetooth, providing a convenient and user-friendly way to share content with mobile phones, other computers, or Bluetooth-enabled accessories.

• Requires a working Bluetooth adapter on the host system.
• The target device must support the OBEX Push profile (common for smartphones but not all Bluetooth devices).
• The target device should ideally be paired with the host system for a smooth transfer. Some devices might accept transfers from non-paired devices if explicitly allowed.
• Error handling is often basic; issues like "device not found" or "transfer failed" might occur without detailed explanations.
• This command is typically part of desktop environment utilities (e.g., gnome-bluetooth), and its exact behavior or available options might vary slightly between distributions or versions.

Many desktop environments integrate bluetooth-sendto into file managers (e.g., Nautilus for GNOME) as a "Send via Bluetooth" context menu option. This offers a seamless graphical experience for initiating file transfers without needing to use the command line directly.

This command typically relies on underlying BlueZ services and libraries, which provide the core Bluetooth stack. Additionally, it interacts with desktop environment-specific components (e.g., D-Bus services) for discovering devices, managing connections, and handling the OBEX Push protocol.

bluetooth-sendto is not a standalone historical command but rather a utility bundled with modern desktop environments, particularly GNOME, to simplify file transfers over Bluetooth. Its development aligns with the increasing integration of Bluetooth capabilities into the desktop user experience, moving away from lower-level BlueZ utilities towards more user-friendly applications for common tasks like file sharing.

bluetoothctl(1), obex-push(1), hcitool(1) (deprecated), bluetooth-applet(1)