Android Q includes Android Beam successor Fast Share

9to5Google has managed to enable the successor to Android Beam on a Pixel 3XL with Android Q. The function, called Fast Share, does not use NFC, but connects to nearby devices with bluetooth and location determination.

The feature is hidden in the Android Q beta, but 9to5Google doesn’t share the instructions to enable Fast Share. The site does, however, show in detail how the functionality works. When bluetooth and location determination is enabled, devices must be brought ‘close to each other’. In the pictures, the devices are a few centimeters apart. Then selectable devices should appear in a list, after which they can be designated as recipients for, for example, a file.

As for the selectable devices, Google also gives some examples. This includes a Chromebook, an iPhone and a smartwatch. So it looks like Fast Share’s compatibility should be broad. Security is provided by a connection id, a string of characters that must be the same on both the sender and receiver in order for the endpoints to be verified. There is also the option for preferred visibility, whereby certain devices are also visible when Fast Sharing is not active.

The first beta of Android Q, available on a range of devices, revealed the absence of Android Beam. It is expected that Fast Share will at least be accessible to everyone in a final release version of Android Q. When it comes out, however, is not yet known.