Android Nearby Share beta is now available for Windows
Google is rolling out a Nearby Share beta for Android on Windows. Nearby Share makes it easier to share files between different devices, such as a PC and an Android device.
Google announced at CES that the feature was coming and it now seems to be gaining momentum. You can download the Nearby Share beta for the Windows app right away on Android.com, though the beta is only available in the United States and select regions. The Netherlands is one of the regions, but the download button for the new tool seems to be open only for the United States at the moment.
You do need a PC or laptop that runs on Windows 10 for this. Devices with an ARM processor are just not supported. To enable the connection between the devices, you must have Bluetooth and WiFi turned on and then the devices can find each other at a distance of 5 meters.
Send files
The idea is that you can transfer a file faster than if you, for example, WeTransfer everything yourself, or put it in your Drive. You can transfer videos, photos, documents, audio files and even entire folders between your Android device and your Windows computer at the touch of a button. That can be smart when you edit a photo on your phone, but notice that you are better off with a little more work space. It can sometimes be a lot of fiddling on that small smartphone screen.
If you want to participate in the beta, you will be asked to log in to your Google account after downloading, so that you can set exactly how you want to share. You can also choose to only allow your contacts to share something with you. If you don’t want to be linked to your Google account at all, you don’t have to. You can also use Nearby Share without being logged in.
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E2E encryption
The app on your computer features Material You design, and you can drag and drop (or right-click and choose “Send via Nearby Share”) to send files back and forth. If you are logged in with your Google account on both devices, files will be sent automatically. You do get the choice to open or reject a file. A Nearby Share transfer is anyway provided with E2E encryption to make it more secure and to keep malicious parties away from your documents.
Are you able to download and use the beta? Let us know in the comments.
