For a long time, Android users have envied Apple’s AirDrop, which allows iOS users to quickly and seamlessly share files between Apple devices. So, when Google introduced Nearby Share in 2020, Android users everywhere rejoiced because they finally had a simple way to transfer files between devices without having to attach them to an email. But sending a photo or video to your PC shouldn’t be a hassle, either — even with an ecosystem gap in the way. Thankfully, Google revealed at CES 2022 its plans to launch Nearby Share in beta for Windows at some point in the future, and that day has finally come.
Google announced in a blog post that it’s now easier to move images, videos, and other content between your Android phone and Windows PC with the new Nearby Share Beta for Windows app. Similar to Apple’s AirDrop, the app allows Android devices and Windows PCs to quickly share files between each other without needing to resort to some of the top cloud storage apps like Google Drive.
The app is available to download from the Android website and it’s compatible with PCs running the 64-bit version of Windows 10 and up, so long as they’re not powered by ARM processors. Additionally, devices should be within 16 feet (5 meters) of each other for the transfer to succeed.
Nearby Share Beta for Windows works similarly to its Android counterpart, just with a Windows twist: simply drag or drop a file into the app or right-click on a file and select the Nearby Share option in the context menu. After that, nearby devices will show up in the recipient list.
The app only works for devices that have Nearby Share turned on, are close together and unlocked, and are logged into your Google account. Once these conditions are met, whatever you’re sharing is sent directly to the other device via this transfer method. As is customary, anyone else must accept each share from your device.
However, even if you can always decline, the thought of strangers bombarding you with random files is the last thing you’ll want with this experience. Fortunately, you can set your preferred visibility for Nearby Share on Windows to different levels of contacts, just like you can for the Android app. You can do this by going to the settings menu and selecting the device visibility section, from which you can select “Everyone,” “Contacts,” “Your devices,” or “No one.”
Nearby Share Beta is only available in the United States and a handful of other countries for the time being. Unfortunately, some countries are on an exclusion list for the time being, and that list can be found here.
Thanks: Armando
