“Near Sharing” or “Nearby Share” is the latest attempt to give Android owners and users a suitable rival to Apple’s AirDrop.
We’ve seen Android Beam bite the dust in the past few months, well this is its eventual replacement. The feature is not yet technically widely available.
However, thanks to a randomized limited beta test, you may have the option if you subscribe to the Google Play Services Beta program. You may remember this as “Fast Share”, which is what we think would be called before the release of Google Pixel 4.
Some of you are probably wondering what close sharing is. Well, it is Google’s version of AirDrop, a very useful feature in Apple products that allows for quick and easy file transfer over a Wi-Fi connection. It’s something Android users have been praying for years, and now it’s finally coming.
We’ve made Near Share work on a couple of our own devices so you know what to expect, how it differs from Apple’s AirDrop, and find out if it really is the local sharing solution we’ve been waiting for for years. for. With Apple picking up tons of Android design cues on iOS 14, this might be one of the few knockoffs that Android fans have long been waiting for; Now if RCS can tackle iMessage, I am sure we would all be happy.
How to enable “Share close”
When the option is enabled, you just need to add the quick switch to your notification screen. It is instantly recognizable as a small intertwined rope icon. Alternatively, you can go to your device settings and search for “Nearby sharing”. This should allow you to activate the option if it is available as part of the latest beta version of Google Play Services.
Once you’ve activated the option on your device, you can tap the notification switch to start a wireless transfer. Although a simpler method is to simply select the option within your Share Sheet, this means that you won’t have to use File Manager to access files once you’ve enabled it. This gives you options and makes it even easier to send files to friends, family and even your own devices without the need for a cable or a dedicated app.
Interface
Because Near Sharing integrates with Android Share Sheet, instead of an unknown interface, it is instantly recognizable. It will not be lost or confused, it is simple and consistent with the current implementation of Share Sheet.
When sharing a file, the Share sheet will transform to show nearby devices below, so you can simply select the person or device you want to send your file to. On the receiving device, you simply have to accept the transfer, which can appear as a notification or toggle the fast toggle notification. Without accepting the transfer, the process will simply fail, leaving you to start or try again.
The progress of your transfer will be shown within the same panel, but as a circular progress bar with the connection ID and the contact / profile icon. All of this will be familiar to anyone who has previously used AirDrop with Apple hardware. There’s no shame in taking some design cues from iOS and macOS when it’s popular, works well, and is easy to use.
You’ll get some additional controls, including the ability to allow only close contacts or selected contacts to see your availability or visibility for close sharing. Just like AirDrop, you can even make your device completely hidden for complete privacy controls. If you prefer to change your display name, you can also change it to whatever you want. This will only be visible if you make yourself visible to all contacts.
Compatibility
We have Near Sharing enabled on a combination of Android One, Android Go, and third-party OEM devices, but we lack the option on Google Pixel hardware. Because the feature relies on Google Play services to function, it should be easy for Google to send an update to all compatible Android hardware. Basically it is a device that runs the latest versions of Play Store and Android 6.0+.
Having an Internet connection is also not a precursor to using close sharing. You can use mobile data, Wi-Fi or no Internet connection. Testing with Wi-Fi disabled on our devices doesn’t seem to affect the transfer speed either. This is especially useful if you want to share files between devices and you don’t have a stable network or data connection to do so.
We also know that Chromebooks and Chrome browser are likely to add the ability to share files and photos wirelessly. This would allow for close sharing to jump AirDrop into its installation base almost overnight. Being able to share files from desktop to mobile or vice versa will make file sharing almost effortless.
Now some of you may be wondering if close sharing works directly with AirDrop or at least has some integration. Well, unsurprisingly, it doesn’t work and is unlikely to work with iOS hardware. It’s a shame, but at least when the functionality hits Google Chrome, technically you’ll have better overall device compatibility anyway.
How do I get close sharing on my device?
Currently, the wireless file sharing protocol is only available to those who signed up for the beta version of Google Play Services. However, that does not guarantee that you will win the option on your device. Since this is part of a very limited beta test, it’s a bit of a lottery right now. We’ve only noticed the option on devices running stable versions of Android 10 at this stage. As far as we can tell, the option appears to be unavailable on devices running Android 11 Beta.
Have you tried close sharing on your device? If so, let us know what you think in the comment section below.
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