Quick Share got a major boost late last year when it gained compatibility with Apple’s AirDrop. It was pretty big news, coming as a complete surprise to many. When something like this comes up, you’ve got to hand it to Google.
It tends to work on small things that make a huge difference in day-to-day use. So, it goes without saying: when the Kindle gets Quick Share, it’s also pretty big news. Unfortunately, it’s not an official solution from Google or Amazon, but folks will have to make do for now.
You’ll need to get your hands dirty
Now, “Kindshare” isn’t a feature you can add to your Kindle device by pressing a button and installing an app. It’s an involved process, but the creator behind it, unrealJune, has a detailed GitHub page that can walk you through it all (via Android Authority, Hackaday).
If you’re successful, you’ll be able to transfer files wirelessly from an Android device to a Kindle. You can also expand this to macOS with an app called NearDrop. All of this will require a jailbroken Kindle device. Again, you will need to set things up, which requires KOReader on your Kindle and SSH access, plus Go and Docker on a computer to make this work.
The creator does a great job of explaining everything step by step on the GitHub page, so we highly recommend looking it over multiple times before you start, just so you don’t run into any trouble. In addition to the limitations listed above, this mod will only let you send files to your Kindle for now.
You won’t be able to send files from your Kindle to an Android device. You also can’t send files when the device is asleep. The creator also notes that transfers will go through without any prompts. You can’t set permissions on the Kindle. Another feature of this mod lets you set up the Kindle as an access point.
If you’re concerned about security, read through the details to see how this feature works before diving in. For the most part, none of these are really a big deal. It’s an exciting development that should just get better over time. Transferring files to a Kindle can be a pain. And while tools already exist to transfer media wirelessly, it won’t be as seamless as Quick Share.
