How to share a Keynote with someone on Android
They tap a link in Chrome and the deck plays. That is the goal. Here is what Android can open, the three routes that get there, and why only one keeps the deck moving.
What Android can and cannot open
There is no Keynote for Android, so a .key file is a dead end: the phone has nothing to open it with. What Android does have is Chrome, and Chrome opens PDFs, videos and web pages. Every route below ends in one of those three.
Option 1: iCloud link, view only
Keynote's Collaborate button makes an iCloud link. Apple's collaboration guide describes what a viewer without Keynote can do, and on a phone without the app you should expect a view-only experience at best. Test it on an Android phone before you rely on it, and remember the link points at your live file: any edit you make afterwards is what they see.
Option 2: PDF
File → Export To → PDF gives you a file every Android phone can open. It also flattens every build to its final state, removes transitions, turns video into a still and drops audio. Fine for a handout. Not the deck you built.
Option 3: Export to HTML and send a link
Keynote's HTML export keeps the deck as a deck. Apple's export page says animations and builds are exported, and embedded media travels in the export folder.
- In Keynote for Mac: File → Export To → HTML… and save the folder.
- Right-click the folder and choose Compress.
- Upload the .zip on linkdeck.me and copy the link.
- Send the link by WhatsApp, SMS, email or Slack. It opens in Chrome, landscape, tap to advance. Video plays inside the slide; sound starts on the first tap.
Checking it on your own phone first
Open the link on any phone you have, including an iPhone; the viewer behaves the same. Tap once to start, advance through the builds, play a video. If you can, borrow an Android phone for one pass. What you see is what they see.
Free and Pro
Free hosts one deck up to 200 MB for 3 days (24 hours without signing in). Pro, €12 a month, hosts 10 decks up to 500 MB with permanent links, a custom slug, password, email gate, replace in place and per-slide analytics. Keynote exports only; a PowerPoint deck must be opened in Keynote first.
Questions
Can Android open a .key file?
No. There is no Keynote for Android. An iCloud share link opens in a browser, and Apple's collaboration guide sets out what a viewer without Keynote gets; a Linkdeck link needs only Chrome.
Do animations play on Android?
With the HTML export hosted as a link, yes. Apple exports animations and builds, and Keynote's web player runs them in Chrome. Test any unusual build on a phone before sending.
Does WhatsApp preview the link?
Yes. WhatsApp shows the deck title and a square card with your studio name, set under Identity in the dashboard. The preview never shows a slide, so a password-protected deck stays private in the chat.
Upload the export and text the link to an Android phone
Export to HTML, zip, upload. Free for the first deck.