Smartphone makers including Google, Xiaomi, Vivo, OPPO and quite recently Samsung have jumped on the file-sharing bandwagon with their own version of Apple’s popular feature ‘AirDrop.’
AirDrop allows apple users to transfer file between devices much faster without relying on any third-party services.
Google was in process to build the answer to AirDrop for Android phones with its feature FastShare first reported by 9to5 Google in 2019. The feature was recently renamed Nearby Sharing, tech news website XDA Developers reported.
Two devices can share files without any third-party services using the Nearby Sharing feature if they are located within 1 foot of each other according to the report. The website also shared the first look of the feature that enables file transfers between Google’s Pixel devices.
BBK Electronics’ Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo have also teamed up to build their own inter-device file sharing platform according to a report by GizmoChina.
Francis Wang, CMO, realme India, another one of BBK’s sub-brands had confirmed the news on Twitter adding that realme will also team up with the brands to enable cross-device file-transfers.
You are right, realme also agreed for cross -brand direct file transfer. https://t.co/WZPMKWHkxG
— Francis Wang (@FrancisRealme) August 19, 2019
“Wow this is huge! Oppo (including Realme), Vivo, and Xiaomi have all come together to announce a new cross-brand direct file transfer alliance which allows smartphones from all three brands to transfer files between each other. Like AirDrop for Android, “ a Twitter user Clinton Jeff (@clintonjeff) had tweeted sharing the news.
“You are right, realme also agreed for cross-brand direct file transfer,” Wang had tweeted replying to Jeff’s tweet.
According to an XDA Developers report which spotted an APK version of the feature, Samsung is building its own file-sharing feature called QuickShare. The feature similar to AirDop lets users share files including pictures, videos and documents between devices. It differs from the Apple feature by enabling a cloud share feature where users can temporarily transfer files to Samsung cloud and stream them to their device.
The South Korean smartphone maker might debut the feature in its latest Galaxy S Series phone the Samsung Galaxy S20 at its upcoming ‘Unpacked’ event on February 11 according to the report.
Google is yet to disclose the launch date for its Nearby Sharing feature.
Source: The Hindu
