Nearby Share comes out for Android smartphones and later comes to Chromebooks

Google has started releasing Nearby Share, a feature in Android that allows users to share files among themselves. The service comes via Play Services to smartphones with Android 6.0 or newer. Later, the service will also come to Chromebooks.

From Tuesday, Nearby Share will be available on some Google Pixel and Samsung smartphones, Google writes. The service should be available on more Android smartphones in the coming weeks. Google claims to work with partners for this. The service works on devices with Android 6.0, Google does not mention other requirements. The feature should also come to Chromebooks in the coming months.

Google has put a help page online with details about Nearby Share and how users can activate the service. To use the function, bluetooth must be turned on and the phone must be receiving location data. If two users have the function on and then touch their smartphones together, a file transfer screen will appear.

To share files, users must be contacts of each other. It is possible to see nearby contacts’ devices, provided users set it up. Devices are only visible when the screen is on and the phone is unlocked. Users can also choose to allow only a few contacts or hide the visibility altogether.

Last month, Google started a beta test of Nearby Share. Nearby Share uses bluetooth to find nearby devices. File transfer can take place via bluetooth, WebRTC or wifi-direct. According to Google, Nearby Share automatically determines the best protocol for the situation. The feature also works when users are completely offline.

Apple has had a similar feature called AirDrop for years. Samsung is working on its own alternative called Quick Share. Several Chinese manufacturers have created their own alternative that works on devices without Google services.