Android's AirDrop Competitor Is Coming Soon (androidpolice.com) 28
Android's long-awaited "Nearby Sharing" feature, which allows you to share files between Android devices wirelessly, is rolling out to beta testers. Android Police reports: Nearby Sharing may appear slightly differently depending on the type of content you try to share. In all cases, it shows up as an app in the apps list on the share sheet, but you may also get a smaller prompt just under the content preview, more like it did in the previous Android 11 video leak. We tested it on a Pixel 4 XL and Pixel 3a running Android 10, but the appearance may also vary on other versions of Android. Note that Nearby Share works for both files like photos or videos, as well as other shareable content like Tweets and URLs. It probably works with a lot of things.
Select Nearby Share in the share sheet as the target, and you're prompted to turn on the feature, if it's the first time you've used it. The quick setup process lets you configure your default device name and device visibility settings, though those can also be changed later. Once you have it enabled, Nearby Sharing starts looking for other nearby devices. The interface is pretty simple: A big X in the top left corner backs you out, your avatar on the right takes you to a settings pane that lets you configure things like your device name, visibility, and which mechanism to use to make the transfer (i.e., whether to use your internet connection for small files, to stick to Wi-Fi, or to always share offline). Google says Nearby Share is currently in limited testing via the Play Services beta: "We're currently conducting a beta test of a new Nearby Share feature that we plan to share more information on in the future. Our goal is to launch the feature with support for Android 6+ devices as well as other platforms."
Select Nearby Share in the share sheet as the target, and you're prompted to turn on the feature, if it's the first time you've used it. The quick setup process lets you configure your default device name and device visibility settings, though those can also be changed later. Once you have it enabled, Nearby Sharing starts looking for other nearby devices. The interface is pretty simple: A big X in the top left corner backs you out, your avatar on the right takes you to a settings pane that lets you configure things like your device name, visibility, and which mechanism to use to make the transfer (i.e., whether to use your internet connection for small files, to stick to Wi-Fi, or to always share offline). Google says Nearby Share is currently in limited testing via the Play Services beta: "We're currently conducting a beta test of a new Nearby Share feature that we plan to share more information on in the future. Our goal is to launch the feature with support for Android 6+ devices as well as other platforms."
What's wrong with Bluetooth file-transfer? (Score:3, Insightful)
Bluetooth has had a standardized File Transfer Profile [wikipedia.org] for many years — I used to use it with Blackberry, for crying out loud...
That Apple wouldn't use it is something I hold against them and resent deeply. But that's Apple — if they didn't invent it, they aren't going to like it. Yet, Google is, supposedly, an open-standards champion — so why wouldn't Android use the long-known protocol?
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I still don't understand, why they wouldn't implement the Bluetooth transfer option for compatibility — even if adding an alternative (using the other radio) later...
Re:What's wrong with Bluetooth file-transfer? (Score:4, Informative)
Bluetooth file transfer already exists on Android. As the other poster said, it's slower than WiFi:
https://helpdeskgeek.com/netwo... [helpdeskgeek.com]
https://www.lifewire.com/bluet... [lifewire.com]
AirDrop uses peer-to-peer WiFi. Android's previous ad-hoc file transfer was Android Beam, which is being replaced by this new service. Beam used NFC, which is even slower than Bluetooth:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Samsung had this sorted out years ago. They used NFC to set up a Wifi Direct connection and zip the file over nice and fast. It also let you synchronize music on two devices and gimmicky stuff like that.
"wifi"-transfers with bluetooth (Score:2)
Wifi Direct for far faster transfers than what can be achieved over BT.
You can achieve Wifi-level performance with Bluetooth transfers by litterally leveraging the actual Wifi hardware itself - and it's been backed into the standard: since Bluetooth 3.0 +HS [wikipedia.org].
That's the whole purpose of +HS'+s "Alternate MAC/PHY": you can send the data down a different and faster antenna.
Re: What's wrong with Bluetooth file-transfer? (Score:2)
Xiaomi has this shareme app that can transfer via p2p wifi too
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BT is so slow when I last tried it to transfer a few files in 201(5/6) between a Lenovo Thinkpad and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge.
Do Not Want (Score:1)
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If you're stupid enough to enable receiving files from people not on your contact list...
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Even if you don't, this is an exploit just waiting to happen. There will be a critical security advisory for this 'feature' in the next few years. Probably several.
Re: Do Not Want (Score:2)
Absolutely. My daughter had to turn off airdrop because in highschool its nonstop spam during the day. People she doesnt know spreading rumors, lies, and panic. Bomb threats, school shooting threats, its crazy. So she just turned the whole thing off.
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Isn't the thing people with iPhones always complain about? [businessinsider.com]
My 13-year-old niece and her friend thought they'd be funny and air drop some crap onto my phone (using her friend's iPhone) and were really disappointed when I didn't react only then realizing that I have an Android phone -- and that Air Drop in an iPhone only thing and, apparently, that not everyone has an iPhone. /sigh
I also informed them that I generally keep features on my phone -- like Bluetooth, NFC, etc... -- disabled unless I'm actively using them.
So, also mark me as "Do Not Want".
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Isn't the thing people with iPhones always complain about? [businessinsider.com]
I also informed them that I generally keep features on my phone -- like Bluetooth, NFC, etc... -- disabled unless I'm actively using them.
Airdrop is disabled by default for non-contacts. Makes me sad because I enjoy airdropping memes in crowded places. I estimate that 1-2% of users have it enabled for non-contacts.
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This actually works? You can just place files on strangers' phones with no interaction from their end? You have to share goatse with the wolrd!
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What could possibly go wrong? (Score:2)
I am sure this will in no way be used to remotely pwn insecure devices without even needing to trick the user in to pressing "accept".
Next up (Score:2)
How about a unified messaging standard that can use wifi instead of strictly the cell network? iMessage works with any data connection.
Re: Next up (Score:2)
imessage needs a cross platform client. Its sad i can google Duo with andriod users on apple devices but they cannot imessage me or use facetime.
Open Protocols FFS (Score:2)
who cares (Score:2)
never gonna use that.
never had the need to transfer files between 2 phones.
Re:who cares (Score:4, Insightful)
Dunno about the Android implementation, but AirDrop will transfer between any iPhones, iPads, and Macs, not just iPhones, and it can be used for files, photos, web-links, basically anything where there’s a share-sheet icon. It’s fast, secure and private. Maybe not useful to you, but wildly useful to me and lots of other people.
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So what was the hold up? (Score:2, Interesting)
bt file transfer, wifi direct, do we need another? (Score:2)
Already heaps of ways to do it. Why do we need another? (pretty sure there was also nfc tap to transfer and others too in previous android vers)
NFC tap (Score:1)
Microsoft is reviving its offering too. (Score:2)
Finally! (Score:2)
A new vector by which to hack Android.