How long does it take to copy something Apple does? Well, usually competitors line up to duplicate apple’s various software and hardware products to take advantage of the company’s innovative thinking. However, in the case of Google and trying to replicate one of Apple’s most sought-after features, AirDrop, it has taken Google 9 years to eventually announce that they are ready to launch a sharing feature of their own called Nearby Share (as shared by The Verge).
Google’s Nearby Share works very much like Apple’s AirDrop feature where a user simply selects the Nearby Share button on the share menu and then waits for a nearby phone to appear. Then whatever thing you’re sharing is sent directly over your transfer method of choice to the other phone.
Similarly, as with AirDrop, you can also set your preferred visibility for Nearby Share to different levels of contacts: all, some, or stay hidden. Google says it’s even possible to “send and receive files anonymously.” Much like the AirSlothing, feature on iPhones. Nearby Share also shares files directly via whatever method your two phones deem is fastest: “Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, WebRTC or peer-to-peer Wi-Fi,” and even work offline.
For now, the feature is available just on Android phones running Android 6 and up, though Google is planning to roll it out to Chromebooks in the near future and is exploring the possibility of building apps which will allow it to run on Windows and iOS devices too. It’s only taken them nine years to get this feature in the first place, so hopefully, they will be a little faster in expanding on it.
Last Updated: August 6, 2020
setzor
August 11, 2020 at 11:25
Eish… took ’em long enough