Google has finally announced Nearby Share after lagging behind Apple’s AirDrop feature, which has been available for almost a decade already.
File sharing has been part and parcel of device usage ever since the modern computer’s inception. As such, developments on it have been crucial for new devices that come out. The name of the game, as of the moment, is cloud storage. However, there are still many instances when localized file sharing is used.
There are many ways to share files locally. The most common would be Bluetooth file sharing. However, not much development on it has been made. Fortunately, there are the likes of Apple and Google that work to enhance such features. The former has had AirDrop since 2011. The latter had just caught up yesterday.
Nearby Share for Samsung and Pixel phones
Google announced yesterday that Nearby Share is finally available for Android users. The initial rollout has been limited to Samsung and Pixel phones. However, succeeding updates will include all Android devices. So long as the phone runs Android 6.0, it will get the Nearby Share feature.
The feature works similarly to the AirDrop feature on Apple devices. Large files or multiple small files can be shared to any Android device nearby. It can be photos, videos, music, or just documents. It’s very simple to use, and the user only has to select the file that he wants to share and choose Nearby Share as the option for sharing.
The feature will automatically choose which transmittal would be the best mode of transfer. It chooses from Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, WebRTC, or peer-to-peer WiFi. All these make offline file-sharing possible.
Safety, anonymity, and versatility
Nearby Share allows the users to go invisible if they don’t want their devices to be found. It also has a quick setting feature that allows the owner to limit file sharing to ‘some contacts’ or ‘all contacts.’ This way, they will not get files that they never asked for from anyone.
Eventually, the feature will also be available to Chromebooks. It means that file sharing between Android devices and ChromeOS laptops will also be smoother. Google didn’t share when such a feature will be available. However, having it will make the lives of people on the go easier. There is no need to find a hotspot anymore, just to email files.
They just have to do quick taps on their laptops or phones to get files from one device to another.
Image from Google The Keyword