Sharing documents or file between smartphones have been a thing of concern especially sharing between different smartphone brands. Xender was introduced to combat this sharing problem but it only works well with small media files, large files usually take longer to deliver and pairing with iPhone isn't perfect, so Apple created their own file sharing service and called it Airdrop, this phenomenal service makes transferring files between Apple products such as iPhones, Macs seemless.
Android devices haven't had much luck with the file sharing service has services associated with a particular brand like the Huawei Share which pairs perfectly with only Huawei phones with a complete Android stock or the newer version that aren't running on Android OS. For this reason Google has developed a new sharing service that is rumored to be available across all Android devices and would pair with Android devices without the brand restrictions. Nearby Sharing is the name of an upcoming service from Google which aims to equal if not beat AirDrop. It will work on all Android phones when it launches, it seems. During its development it was previously known as Fast Share. The fact that the name is different should not be taken to indicate it’s not fast any more.
In fact, it seems its scope has increased, with Nearby Sharing have ambitions beyond AirDrop, even.
It could do this by having compatibility wider than just with Android phones and tablets.
How it works
The feature uses WiFi to share content, meaning it quickly transfers from one handset to another. This is much faster and less buggy than using Bluetooth for file transfers. The Nearby Sharing feature is readily accessible in the phone’s Quick Settings, though assuming the user makes their handset visible, they won’t need to access the settings for it too often.
Video made by XDA showing how it the Google Nearby Share works on Google Pixel phones
As shown in the video, the feature allows you to choose your device name, just like the Apple Airdrop; as well, the user will be able to choose whether all of their Google contacts can view that the device is nearby, only certain people, or they can make their device hidden so that it isn’t visible to everyone.
Compatibility
And, according to Kyle Bradshaw at 9to5Google, there is evidence that this code indicates it will also be coming to the Windows, Linux and even Mac versions of the Chrome browser.
Comparism
The Google Nearby Share as explained is a file sharing service, just like the Apple Airdrop and they both take advantage of wireless transfers by creating their own networks which is used to transfer heavy file without cellular network or WiFi but unlike the Airdrop, the Google Nearby Share is said to be able to pair with many device such as Chromebooks, MacBooks, Linux, devices with Android OS. The range of this device makes the Nearby Share a better choice than the Apple Airdrop which is limited to just Apple devices.
| Apple Airdrop | Google Nearby Share | |
| Mode of connection | wireless network | wireless network |
| Connection Speed | limited to the WiFi model available in the device | limited to the WiFi model available in the device |
| Compatibility | only compatible with Apple products | compatible with various product even some of apples product or MacBooks, Macs, Chromebooks, Android devices |
In my opinion having a file sharing service that can cut across various platforms is a ground breaker and I'm excited to see the final version of the Google Nearby Share in action. What're your thoughts about the Nearby Sharing service from Google? Do you think this would be a better service than the Apple Airdrop?
Comments
Post a Comment