Why this app has become indispensable in my daily life
In April, Google launched the beta version of an app that makes sharing files between your Windows device and your Android phone or tablet super easy. This is why I can’t live without it anymore.
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Apps that make your life easier
In the meantime I have already used many apps that make working between different devices easier. Once I started using Pushbullet and Join to send notifications and files from my phone to my laptop. For example, Join can send notifications, links, clipboard, screenshots, photos and many other files from your smartphone to your PC or Chromebook and vice versa.
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I have now switched to Link to Windows for sending notifications to my Windows laptop. I started using this app because of its deep integration in Samsung phones. I still use this app for notifications. This way I don’t have to grab my smartphone every time to see what’s going on on Instagram or LinkedIn. Those notifications appear neatly in the notification center in Windows. In addition, you can also use this app on your Windows PC to send text messages, make calls and view and edit photos that are on your phone.
You can also use Link to Windows to open your apps on your phone on your PC and drag and drop files between your PC and phone. Unfortunately, that only works with a number of phones such as Microsoft Duo, Samsung or HONOR phones. Not with the Pixel 7 Pro I have now. For file sharing I now have a perfect alternative. That alternative is simple and works great, despite the fact that the app is still in beta. That app is called Nearby Share Beta for Windows.
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This beta app uses Nearby Share, which is a sharing feature similar to Apple’s AirDrop. You can share files such as images, links and documents with your friends using Nearby Share. You can also use the feature to transfer files between your phone and other devices such as Chromebooks and Chrome OS or Android tablets. This way you can easily transfer photos from your Android phone to your Android tablet and quickly send web links from your phone to your PC. To share these files, Nearby Share uses bluetooth and location. Knowing more? You can read all about it here.
Nearby Share Beta for Windows is an app that you install on your Windows PC or laptop. Then use the already present Share nearby button in the share menu on your Android phone to transfer files. Just make sure you’re signed in with your Google account and under Share nearby in your phone’s settings, indicate that your phone is visible to other devices.
There is one drawback though. The beta is only available in the United States and select regions for now. The Netherlands also belongs to one of these regions, but the download button is not yet visible on the corresponding website. So you have to travel to America to install the app on your Windows. If you’ve managed to do that, you’ll find the new Nearby Share Beta for Windows incredibly convenient to use. I really hope that Google makes the tool available for the Netherlands and Belgium so that more people can benefit from it. I can not live without. Find out more about Nearby Share Beta for Windows here.
Which useful apps do you use to share files between your phone and PC and other devices? Maybe you already use one of the above or one of these apps? Let us know in the comments.
Nearby Share beta for Windows lets you quickly transfer photos, videos, documents, audio files or entire folders between your Android device and Windows PC
