Re: Nearby Sharing From Android To Windows 10
Teodolinda Mattson
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Windows users who want to be able to share photos and other files with their Android phones or tablets can now do so courtesy of Google's Nearby Share for Windows. Officially accessible to 64-bit versions of Windows 10 and 11, the app helps you share a file between your PC and your Android device.
Share for Windows started life as an app called Nearby Share, which allows you to exchange files between different Android devices. In April of this year, Google expanded the app's capabilities by releasing a beta version of Nearby Share that would let you also exchange files with Windows PCs.
The beta version apparently has been a hit, according to a Wednesday blog post from Ronald Ho, Group Product Manager for Android. The app has been installed by more than 1.7 million people, Ho said, with more than 50 million files transferred between Windows PCs and Android. Among all those files, photos and videos have been the most popular types for sharing.
Sharing files between different types of mobile devices and computers has always been tricky as each company provides its own unique method, typically with certain limitations. Apple offers AirDrop, but that works only with iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Windows itself comes with a Nearby Sharing feature, but that's used to share files between different computers.
Google has improved Nearby Share for Windows since its beta debut, Ho said. The app now displays an estimated time for each file transfer so you can see how long it will take. Plus, an image preview appears under device notifications so you can make sure that the right file is being shared.
Those of you who installed the beta version of Nearby Share for Windows should find the official release now nestled on your PC. Otherwise, browse to the Nearby Share for Windows website and click the Get started button to download the BetterTogetherSetup.exe file. After installing the program, fire it up from the Start menu.
First, try sharing a file from Android to Windows. For this, make sure the Nearby Share option is enabled on your Android device and that the device is visible to everyone or to your devices. In the Nearby Share app in Windows, click the drop-down field under the name of your PC and set it to Receive from everyone or Receive from your devices.
Open an app on your Android device from which you can share a file, such as Photos or Files. Open the file you want to share and select Nearby Share. The name of your PC should pop up on the screen. After a few seconds, the Nearby Share for Windows app will show the transfer of the file, after which you can open the file using the associated app in Windows. Any transferred files are saved in the Windows Downloads folder.
Next, try sharing a file from Windows to Android. For this, just drag and drop the file onto the Nearby Share for Windows screen or click the link for Select files or Select folders to select them from File Explorer. Thumbnails for images appear in the preview pane, while the name of your nearby Android device is displayed. Click the name of the device to kick off the transfer. Your Android device then confirms that the files have been shared.
Google launched Nearby Share Beta in April 2023. It was once exclusive to Android phones but is now also available for Windows 10 and 11. You can use it to transfer data wirelessly from your Android phone in a jiffy. While there are multiple other options including Intel Unison to control your phone wirelessly, Google Nearby Share only focuses on file sharing.
However, Windows already has its Nearby Sharing feature in the Settings app. So, why do you need Google Nearby Sharing? Are these features identical? We understand your confusion and will elaborate on these features and compare them.
Windows Nearby Sharing is a feature available in both Windows 10 and 11 that allows you to share files between two Windows devices. You can send media files, documents, and even URL links to other nearby available devices. The URL trick works only in the Edge browser, so it is a subtle nudge to switch to it.
But Google recently expanded the feature to the Windows operating system too. It is in the beta phase and will likely follow a public rollout. Like Windows Nearby Sharing, it also uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to establish connections and transfer files. But it is natively available in Android while you have to install the app on your Windows device. However, you cannot share links.
For Google Nearby Share, you will need an Android device running Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) version or higher with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. However, if you want to use it on a Windows device, it must be running the latest 64-bit version of Windows 11 or 10.
Both apps have a similar file-sharing experience. When you share a file using Google Nearby Share, it first uses Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and location permissions. But it turns off Bluetooth after the pairing request and uses Wi-Fi to transfer files which is faster.
However, if you keep your Network connection public in Windows Nearby Sharing, it uses Bluetooth to transfer files and that process is painstakingly slow. So, switch to a Private network profile on both PCs, and then it will use the maximum bandwidth available in your Wi-Fi connection.
Both are free to use and offer decent file transfer speeds considering the use of wireless technology. However, both are inadequate in offering ubiquitous connectivity to all the devices in the Windows-Android ecosystem.
You can use Google Nearby Share to exchange files between your Windows PC and Android phone. For PC-to-PC wireless file transfer, use Windows Nearby Sharing. If you want to control your phone wirelessly (make calls, access, and reply to notifications), the Intel Unison app is a better app with an inbuilt file-sharing feature.
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Transferring data between devices in your home network shouldn't be a Herculean task. With the introduction of Nearby Sharing in Windows, moving files has become as easy as a few clicks. Whether you're a professional managing numerous files across devices or simply sharing photos with family, here's how to make the most of this game-changing feature.
Although Bluetooth facilitates device discovery, Nearby Sharing utilizes Wi-Fi for actual data transfer when available, offering faster speeds. Ensure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network for optimal performance.
On Windows 11, you'll find the Nearby Sharing option right in the settings app. Windows 10 users can activate it from the Action Center. Choose to share with devices logged into your Microsoft account or with anyone nearby.
While Windows' built-in Nearby Sharing feature is for Windows PCs, an app called Nearby Share (not by Microsoft) enables sharing between Windows PCs and Android devices. Follow the setup to start sharing.
Nearby Sharing has revolutionized how we transfer data across devices in our home networks. By following these tips, you can streamline your file-sharing process, enhancing both productivity and connectivity. Dive into the convenience of Nearby Sharing and make those pesky cables and flash drives a thing of the past.
Hello everyone, as some of you may know, recently Google and Samsung unified their Quick Share and Nearby Share services into one singular service/tool. But as of a few days ago, I've been completely unable to use the service from my phone. When attempting to share a file to/from my device, it shows a popup saying that "Nearby Share is now Quick Share" and to "Update to Quick Share to continue sharing with nearby Android devices, Chromebooks and Windows PCs."
When I press the "Update Button", it brings me to the Samsung Store. But soon afterwards, a popup appears stating "This content is no longer available for your phone. Contact the content provider if you want them to add support for your phone. (9901)"
Then, from memory, I think I then returned to that app in Galaxy Store, and saw the button was again blue with "Update" written on it. And underneath it said that 3 other apps related to this will also be updated (see pic). They are: Quick Share Connectivity, Quick Share Agent, and Wi-Fi Direct. I then tapped update button for second time.
Nearby Share was a functionality developed by Google that allows data to be transferred between devices via Bluetooth, Wi-FI Direct or Internet. In 2024, it was merged into Samsung's Quick Share. It was available for Android, ChromeOS and Microsoft's Windows.[1] It was first released on August 4, 2020.
Nearby Share is not to be confused with Microsoft's similarly-named "nearby sharing" feature, which is only available for PCs running Windows 10 or later and uses Microsoft's own proprietary protocol.[2][3]
Before Nearby Share, Google launched Android Beam in 2011.[4] By 2017, ComputerWorld included Android Beam in a list of "once-trumpeted features that quietly faded away", observing that "despite the admirable marketing effort, Beam never quite worked particularly well, and numerous other systems for sharing stuff proved to be simpler and more reliable."[5]
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