Remember that your Android device's location, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth must be on for Nearby Share to work. Nearby Share is available on almost all Android 6.0 or newer devices. In such cases, you can use Snapdrop to transfer files between Linux, Android, and iOS. Nearby Share is not available for iOS or Linux. While Nearby Share works offline, it might use mobile data to transfer files between devices in some cases. It achieves this by using a mix of Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, WebRTC, and Wi-Fi Direct. Nearby Share removes all the pain points of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi direct file transfer by simplifying the pairing process and transferring large files in a jiffy. Nearby Share can also be used to quickly transfer files to and from Chromebooks. Apart from files and photos, you can use Nearby Share to transfer installed apps between Android devices as well. The feature will seamlessly let you transfer files, documents, links, and more with other nearby Android devices in just a few taps. I can only assume this is still a beta release to give Google time to work out any quiet bugs hiding behind the scenes, as well as optimize it for other regions.Nearby Share is Google's take on AirDrop for Android. If Google had just thrown this out the door as a final product, I’d have believed it. What does the future hold in store for Nearby Share on Windows? Frankly, I can’t see a whole lot changing in terms of functionality. You’ll also get notifications for incoming files through native Windows notifications. This is super useful, as it saves a few clicks in opening up the app itself. Nearby Share for Windows also supports sending files from the right-click dialogue of the OS. As seen in the video below, our Damien Wilde was seeing transfer speeds in mere KB/s, which he found may be attributed to using a Google Workspace account. And like on Android and ChromeOS, you can send multiple files at once. Sending a 500 MB video from my Pixel 7 Pro to my PC took less than 30 seconds, with a transfer rate of over 60-70 MB/s. I don’t really see that as a problem, though, as the current setup gets the job done very well.įile transfer speeds have been, for me, quite quick. That’s the only real setting, though, as the only other things you can adjust are your PC’s name seen by other Nearby Share devices and visibility settings. This was a bit annoying for quick workflows, but it makes sense.Īs for incoming files, Nearby Share for Windows defaults to the Downloads folder, but you can redirect that anywhere you’d like. Part of this boils down to Nearby Share requiring that your phone is unlocked before it can appear. Step 3: Enable the Nearby Share toggle at the top. Step 2: Choose Devices and sharing and then tap on Nearby Share. Step 1: On your Android device, go to Settings and then Google. Method 1: Turn on Nearby Share via Google App. I found this to be a little slow with my Pixel 7 Pro, not in the speed of the file transfer but in the time it took for my Pixel to appear as a sharing target. First of all, if you want to share files with Nearby Share, you need to set up and enable Nearby Share. Pick the file you want to share (either by using the upload button and File Explorer or by using drag and drop) and then the device you want to send it to. Nearby Share then works just like it does on any other device. (Chromebooks are not supported right now.)Īt that point, you’re kind of done. You’ll also set a name for your computer to be seen on Android devices. Like on Android, you can set Nearby Share to only be visible to contacts, just your other devices, or to anyone. From there, you’ll be prompted to link your Google account and then set up your privacy preferences. Installing the app is as simple as installing the executable file, and the installer will feel quite familiar if you’ve ever installed Google Chrome on Windows. At the time, I was quite worried my custom-built PC would never see Nearby Share, so I was certainly happy to see last week that Google is just opening the floodgates to everyone.īut how does Nearby Share for Windows actually work in practice? Really, it just works. When Google announced Nearby Share for Windows in 2022, the company implied it would be limited to partnerships with HP and other brands. It’s also quite different from what was originally envisioned. You’ll need a modern computer with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 64-bit OS (Windows 10 or 11), but that’s not exactly a high bar to clear in 2023. The app launched on Friday, and as our Abner Li noted, it’s limited by region but not by device. Now, Google has finally launched Nearby Share for Windows in beta. Even at CES 2023 this year, a full year after Google had announced the feature, there was still nothing to share. Nearby Share was announced for Windows PCs in early 2022, but Google was pretty much silent about the feature in the following months. Now, that’s finally possible on Android and Windows, as Google has released Nearby Share for the Microsoft-owned platform, and it’s wonderful. While it’s not something I want to use constantly, being able to throw a file from my phone to my computer or vice versa is compelling. One of the tools that I’ve always been a little envious of from Apple’s ecosystem has been AirDrop.
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