Google introduced Nearby Share in 2020 as an alternative to Apple’s AirDrop. By now, most Android users are probably familiar with the feature. For those who don’t know, Nearby Share allows you to share images, videos, files, links, and Wi-Fi passwords between Android, Chromebooks, and Windows devices. Thanks to Google’s close ties to Samsung, the feature is now getting a new name.
Google and Samsung have joined forces to update Android’s file-sharing feature. Nearby Share will now be called Quick Share, like Samsung’s own sharing tool. Both let you send stuff to nearby devices using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Quick Share will keep all the sharing abilities of Nearby Share. You can still beam photos, videos and more between Android phones, tablets, Chromebooks and Windows PCs nearby. Samsung’s version also lets you share with up to 5 devices at once, while Nearby Share is one at a time.
The new Quick Share will combine the best of both Nearby Share and Samsung’s original Quick Share. Google aims to create a single, simple file-sharing option that works across all Android and Chrome OS devices.
Quick Share is coming to current Nearby Share phones next month through an automatic update. Google is also talking to PC makers about including Quick Share on Windows computers from the start.
With Google and Samsung joining hands, Android users everywhere will soon enjoy unified file sharing through Quick Share. It promises to make sending content between devices easier than ever.
