Google’s “Nearby Share” feature, which is used to share files and links with other devices within Bluetooth range, is about to receive a major update.
Sharing a file between Android users in the vicinity, not only with individuals but also between groups consisting of several people. This is the novelty that could soon be introduced with the update of Google Nearby Share, the solution of Big G to simplify the transfer of documents in multiple key.
The feature of the service, namely what could be considered the method of Android equivalent to AirDrop of Apple, (here we explain how it works) has been unearthed by the team of the site XDA Developers. The new and useful feature was spotted during the teardown of the apk containing the recent update to version 21.15.12 of Google Play Services, thus allowing the experts of the website to experiment with the features of the service and provide some interesting details on what will be the possibilities of use offered by the system of sharing and transferring files between mobile devices.
Google Nearby Share, how multiple sharing works
As shown by XDA Developers, the new system of group file sharing supports up to four different devices simultaneously. The transfer, at least as far as we’ve been able to see so far, doesn’t happen in parallel: in fact, the second device can start receiving the shared data only after the first one has finished receiving it, and so on until the last one in the series.
To start sharing it’s necessary for the main user to select the file to be shared. Once the sharing request has been received on the devices and given the OK to receive it, the primary user is asked to allow the sharing to start by clicking on the appropriate command, in the order of the approval of the transfer request.
While it may seem like a rather cumbersome mechanism at first glance, the final version might undergo a simplification process before becoming available to all users.
Google Nearby Share, new visibility settings
Multi-user sharing isn’t the only feature that might be introduced soon. In fact, technicians would also be working on an additional mode that would allow you to make your devices visible to everyone in the vicinity, and not only to your contacts as it happens now.
Seeing the particularity of the feature, Google has decided to introduce a limit to this functionality to avoid misuse. In fact, users will be able to decide to take advantage of the feature only temporarily, by activating a button that allows the device to return to “all contacts” mode automatically after a few minutes.
For those, however, who would prefer to always have the ability to share with everyone nearby, Big G has thought of an additional selector that provides to keep the mode constantly active.
Multiple Transfer on Google Nearby Share, when will it arrive
The final date for being able to start taking advantage of this feature on their Android devices has not yet been confirmed by Google. For sure, however, the Nearby Share feature already looks particularly advanced and ready to use, suggesting that a final release is not far off.