Good news for owners of Android smartphones and Windows computers, Google will greatly simplify file transfers between the two devices, in particular thanks to the Nearby Share feature.
Google has finally released a new Nearby Share app for Windows, more than a year after it was first shown off at CES 2022. The app is currently in beta, and you’ll soon be able to download it from android.com at from a compatible device, i.e. Windows 10 or newer. However, in France, the Google site currently indicates that our region is not eligiblebut that should change in the next few days.
For those unfamiliar with Nearby Share, this is a feature for easy transfers between devices, so here between Android and Windows. It’s often compared to AirDrop, Apple’s proprietary transfer solution. It is easily usable between several Android smartphones since last year, and Google will now simplify its use between a computer and a telephone.
According to Google, Nearby Share allows you to ” Quickly transfer photos, videos, documents, audio files or entire folders between your Android device and Windows PCs “. Google considers it useful when, for example, you want to ” edit your photos on a bigger screen or organize your digital folders “.
Once you’ve downloaded the beta, you’ll be prompted to sign in to your Google account, or you can use it without an account. The application will also allow you to customize the interface by changing the image of your PC, and will ask you to choose whether you want the device to be visible to everyone, to your contacts only, to your devices or to no one. .
The operation of the application is quite simple. Once you have configured everything, you access a window where you can drop files to send or receive on other devices. As this is all wireless, make sure your wireless connection and Bluetooth are turned on. Also make sure you have the same settings and your location enabled on your Android device.