Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi start building in file transfer function

Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi are starting to build in their previously announced protocol to let phones send files to each other. The intention is that the protocol grows into an Android alternative to Apple’s Airdrop.

Vivo will start offering the feature in February, the manufacturer says. Oppo will be rolling it out in ColorOS 7 based on Android 10 for many phones in the coming months. Xiaomi did put an announcement on Facebook, but does not say when and which phones it will come to.

The manufacturers have set up a partnership for the protocol called the Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance. Other manufacturers may join. It is unclear whether that will happen. Huawei seems a candidate; all participating manufacturers so far are Chinese and have significant market share in Asia, as does Huawei. Oppo and Vivo share an investor and deals with suppliers, along with OnePlus.

Files can be transferred directly via Bluetooth and WiFi, with a maximum of 20MB/s. No internet connection is required for this. With the technology, the manufacturers want to make a counterpart for Apple’s AirDrop, which has been on Apple’s own devices for years. There have been rumors for some time that Google is working on a technique to make that standard in Android.