Android launches Nearby Share for easy content sharing
Google on Tuesday started rolling out Nearby Share, a new Android feature -- akin to Apple's AirDrop -- that lets users easily share content across devices. The feature automatically chooses the best protocol for quick sharing, enabling online or offline sharing.
Nearby Share is rolling out Tuesday to select Google Pixel and Samsung devices running Android 6+. When a user wants to share a file, link or picture, they can tap on the Android share icon and choose a nearby recipient. That person is then given the option to accept or decline the file. The feature then automatically chooses whether to use Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, WebRTC or peer-to-peer WiFi to share the file.
Users can choose to send or receive files anonymously. They can also adjust the privacy settings, so they're hidden from all Nearby Share users, only visible to their contacts or only visible to some contacts.
Google will roll out the feature to more Android smartphones over the coming weeks and eventually bring it to Chromebooks.