Unfortunately sharing files between Android and Windows was never this easy. Google launches Nearby Share Beta for Windows.

[Senzelian]

 

Google seems to be interested in growing a stronger connection between Android and Windows, but only as long as user's are tied to Google's technology. Now they have launched a beta for Nearby Share on Windows. Nearby Share is Google's own proprietary file sharing technology, which has already been available to Android Users since Android 11.

 

The beta requires you to download an additional application and install it on your Windows PC.

 

 

Screenshots

Spoiler

 

 

 

Quote

 You can download it right now from the Android website, as long as your computer is running the 64-bit version of Windows 10 and up and isn’t powered by ARM processors.

You’ll have to switch on your PC’s WiFi and Bluetooth for the feature to work, but you can choose who can see your device and send you files to fend off any potential spam messages.

 

 

 

My thoughts

Yet another app for a functionality that both OS' already support. Windows has "Nearby Sharing" literally built in. Why is it not possible that Microsoft's technology works with Google's? Clearly both companies are interested in working together, as Microsoft has released the "Phone-Link for Windows" app a few years ago, which does not only help you to send files between Android and Windows devices, but also makes you able to make calls on your Windows device. Microsoft also decided to advertise Phone Link directly in the setup process of Windows 11. They clearly want a tighter integration of Android within Windows.

 

And Google? It's great that they launched this beta and the app does work really well, but where is the integration with Chrome? Chrome has already functionality built in to send and receive website links to and from Android devices.

 

To me it looks like neither Microsoft nor Google are interested in sacrificing their own technology to each other in favor of a better user experience.

 

Can Linus please scream into the camera on WAN show for a minute and smash his phone onto the table as he always does? Makes me at least feel better seeing him being just as mad as I am about this crap.

 

 

 

Sources

https://www.engadget.com/google-launches-a-beta-nearby-share-app-for-windows-pcs-120201590.html

https://www.android.com/better-together/nearby-share-app/

[Doobeedoo]

Yeah, something that is there but final finish required from companies but last effort seems that always one is waiting for other to do stuff or something.

[WereCat]

Great

[Senzelian]

1 minute ago, WereCat said:

Great

You can get around that with a VPN. Or I could drop you the executable. 

[OhioYJ]

This seems more complicated than just plugging in a USB cord? Not to mention I'm going to be really upset if some manufacturer decides they can now release a phone without a USB port.... As a Linux user, what would I do?

[WereCat]

7 minutes ago, Senzelian said:

You can get around that with a VPN. Or I could drop you the executable. 

I don't have VPN right now and I'm already over it but thx for the offer

[Murasaki]

I just use bluetooth so thanks but no thanks :3c

[Senzelian]

34 minutes ago, OhioYJ said:

This seems more complicated than just plugging in a USB cord?

It really isn't.

 

1. Start Nearby Share app on Windows (You can start the app automatically and it will run minimized)
2. Select "Receive from your devices" or "Receive from contacts" or "Receive from everyone" within the app. (You can also leave that always on)
3. Select the file / folder that you want to share on your phone.
4. Select "Nearby Share" and the device you want to share it to.

 

Plugging in a cable isn't exactly faster and you don't necessarily always have a cable with you and once you've set up Step 1 and 2 you don't need to repeat them anymore. However this could be much easier if both companies were working together on this.

 

Google has also put in an option within the new Windows 11 context menu to send a file directly.

 

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, Murasaki said:

I just use bluetooth so thanks but no thanks :3c

Bluetooth never worked for me and is much slower. Both devices always complain about not being able to send the file. Also not sure if you can even send an entire folder via bluetooth.

 

 

Bluetooth only offers up to 50Mbit/s, while Nearby Share in this case easily exceeded 200Mbit/s, sometimes much more even.

[Levent]

One thing I liked most about switching to Mac and iPhone was AirDrop. I always used SMB shares on my Android phone or ran a FTP server through Solid Explorer previously, so this is great to hear.

[mr moose]

I see a dark day in our future when you won't be able to transfer anything between your phone and computer without creating an account with some company.

[Senzelian]

2 minutes ago, mr moose said:

I see a dark day in our future when you won't be able to transfer anything between your phone and computer without creating an account with some company.

At least for now Nearby Share does work without an account, but I agree that this future will come.

[porina]

I'm curious about the use case of file transfer between phone and desktop. Personally the only transfer I regularly do are photos, and that's already handled through cloud.

 

Is this more for sharing files with someone other than yourself?

[TetraSky]

This third party app wouldn't be needed if Microsoft and Google simply worked together instead of against one another for OS interoperability.

 

That said, I wouldn't use it anyway. Opening holes in my desktop's security just to enable nearby share isn't worth it. I can quickly plug in my phone with a usb cable that's always connected to my PC if I need to transfer anything... Plus I also have OneDrive on my phone and PC.

[RollyShed]

1 hour ago, Senzelian said:

Google seems to be interested in growing a stronger connection between Android and Windows, but only as long as user's are tied to Google's technology. Now they have launched a beta for Nearby Share on Windows.

Do you want to give a file or folder to a Windows or Android device from the other device?

 

Can be done easily as long as both are on the same router.

 

Install Dukto on both. Open on both and each will see the other. The sender opens, clicks on the other device's icon and then Drags & Drops the file on to the the opened space. It is immediately on the other device. Where it is to go to can be organised by the receiving device before file transfer.

 

FREE and very, very simple.

 

[jagdtigger]

1 hour ago, Senzelian said:

and you don't necessarily always have a cable with you

Wifi hotspot-> tcmd with lan plugin........ No account, no snooping 3rd party, but i guess if you are fine with running a malware as an OS you dont really mind someone going over sour stuff.

[LAwLz]

Wow, did everyone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today or something? People are so mad for seemingly no reason.

 

2 hours ago, Senzelian said:

Google seems to be interested in growing a stronger connection between Android and Windows, but only as long as user's are tied to Google's technology. Now they have launched a beta for Nearby Share on Windows. Nearby Share is Google's own proprietary file sharing technology, which has already been available to Android Users since Android 11.

I mean, what else would they use?

 

2 hours ago, Senzelian said:

Yet another app for a functionality that both OS' already support. Windows has "Nearby Sharing" literally built in. Why is it not possible that Microsoft's technology works with Google's? 

Nearby Sharing is Microsoft's own proprietary protocol for file transfer that is unrelated to "nearby share" from Google. Chances are Google doesn't have access to Microsoft's "nearby sharing".

I don't think Microsoft is interested in abandoning their own technology in favor of Google's, even though Google's is more widely supported. Hell, Google's nearby sharing is available to more versions of Windows than Microsoft's own protocol.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Senzelian said:

Clearly both companies are interested in working together, as Microsoft has released the "Phone-Link for Windows" app a few years ago, which does not only help you to send files between Android and Windows devices, but also makes you able to make calls on your Windows device. Microsoft also decided to advertise Phone Link directly in the setup process of Windows 11. They clearly want a tighter integration of Android within Windows.

I think it is very clear that they do NOT want to work together. This is just more evidence of how Google and Microsoft are not interested in working together.

The companies doesn't exactly have a great history.

 

 

2 hours ago, Senzelian said:

And Google? It's great that they launched this beta and the app does work really well, but where is the integration with Chrome? Chrome has already functionality built in to send and receive website links to and from Android devices.

I am not sure what you are asking here. What kind of integration with Chrome do you want with Nearby Share? Nearby Share is for sending files, not links. 

I am also pretty sure Nearby Share was already integrated into Chrome if that's what you wanted. This seems to be for people who want it a bit more integrated into Windows itself, or use a different browser.

 

2 hours ago, Senzelian said:

To me it looks like neither Microsoft nor Google are interested in sacrificing their own technology to each other in favor of a better user experience.

What exactly do you want the companies to do? I don't understand. I feel like you are very angry but I don't understand why or what you want.

 

 

2 hours ago, OhioYJ said:

This seems more complicated than just plugging in a USB cord? Not to mention I'm going to be really upset if some manufacturer decides they can now release a phone without a USB port....

How is this more complicated? 

 

Nearby Share:

1) Right click the file you want to share.

2) Click on Share.

3) Select the device you want to send it to.

 

Can be done without even having to lift your hands from the mouse and keyboard.

 

With a USB cable you need to:

1) Find the USB cable and connect your phone using it.

2) Change to file transfer mode on the phone.

3) Select the file you want to copy.

4) Select copy or cut.

5) Navigate to the connected Android device in file explorer.

6) Paste the file.

 

 

I really don't see how the latter sounds like an easier and less complicated process to anyone.

 

Also, you don't have to worry, file transfer between Windows and Android is not the reason why we haven't seen phones without USB ports yet.

 

 

1 hour ago, porina said:

I'm curious about the use case of file transfer between phone and desktop. Personally the only transfer I regularly do are photos, and that's already handled through cloud.

 

Is this more for sharing files with someone other than yourself?

I've only used it a few times, but when I have it's been with other people, or in some rare cases like I worked on a document on my PC and then wanted to be able to view the file on my phone later, so I sent it over.

I don't think a lot of people will use this feature, but I think it's nice to have.

 

 

55 minutes ago, RollyShed said:

Do you want to give a file or folder to a Windows or Android device from the other device?

 

Can be done easily as long as both are on the same router.

 

Install Dukto on both. Open on both and each will see the other. The sender opens, clicks on the other device's icon and then Drags & Drops the file on to the the opened space. It is immediately on the other device. Where it is to go to can be organised by the receiving device before file transfer.

 

FREE and very, very simple.

I mean, this seems to do the same thing, for free, and is also very simple. Plus this does more, like permission control (seems like Dukto just opens up so that anyone on the same LAN can send files to you) and works over Bluetooth as well.

Overall I think Dukto seems like a worse version of this. Although it seems like Dukto supports Linux which is a plus.

 

 

49 minutes ago, jagdtigger said:

Wifi hotspot-> tcmd with lan plugin........ No account, no snooping 3rd party, but i guess if you are fine with running a malware as an OS you dont really mind someone going over sour stuff.

No 3rd party software... Except the closed source third party file manager (total commander) and the closed source third party plugin.

[Senzelian]

23 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I mean, what else would they use?

I don't mind using Google's software. Maybe I worded that incorrectly. What I wanted to say is that I'm frustrated, that both companies can't get together and share their technologies with each other to create a single working standard that doesn't require additional applications. Google wants their software to be used and Microsoft wants their software to be used.

 

23 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Nearby Sharing is Microsoft's own proprietary protocol for file transfer that is unrelated to "nearby share" from Google. Chances are Google doesn't have access to Microsoft's "nearby sharing".

I know, but from a enduser standpoint they are functionally the same and both having almost identical names doesn't really help. Users are left wondering why it won't work, because to them it seems like the same thing.

 

23 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I don't think Microsoft is interested in abandoning their own technology in favor of Google's, even though Google's is more widely supported. Hell, Google's nearby sharing is available to more versions of Windows than Microsoft's own protocol.

Of course not. I wish they would at least add some sort of compatibility layer, so that it could fall back to that if a Android device is recognised. 

 

23 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I am not sure what you are asking here. What kind of integration with Chrome do you want with Nearby Share? Nearby Share is for sending files, not links. 

I am also pretty sure Nearby Share was already integrated into Chrome if that's what you wanted. This seems to be for people who want it a bit more integrated into Windows itself, or use a different browser.

Yes it was integrated into the canary and dev channels of Chrome, but not into the release version. My point is: Chrome could do what this new Nearby Share app does. With the links I'm more focused on the user interface than the functionality. How its sending and receiving links is of course fundamentally different to nearby share, but if you already have the necessary UI work done to do one thing, why not add the necessary functionality and include nearby share in the already existing UI. 

 

23 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I feel like you are very angry but I don't understand why or what you want.

I'm not angry, I'm frustrated.

 

I want to click the little quick settings panel in the bottom right corner of Windows and share files via the "Nearby Sharing" features to my Android device. Is that too much to ask for?  Why I would want that should be obvious: It's easy!

 

Edit:
Also, I think I should add that both companies should work together on this for their own good. There are people running to Apple just because of stuff like this.

[Stark Odinson]

KDE connect is a good alternative, it's available for windows

[Vishera]

Why use this when Bluetooth is a thing?!

 

[Senzelian]

24 minutes ago, Vishera said:

Why use this when Bluetooth is a thing?!

I tried bluetooth with my setup and it never worked. This worked instantly.

And also for the same reason Apple users don't use bluetooth and instead use Airdrop

 

3 hours ago, porina said:

Is this more for sharing files with someone other than yourself?

You can use it for both. But if someone doesn't have nearby share installed on their Windows PC it's going to be annoying. Unlike Android, where nearby share is a build in function of the OS.

[Quackers101]

would just be a little concerned for viruses.

but it would be great to have the same things apple and huawei have, making all the devices work together.

sad there isn't much for android, and brands have their own apps for sharing etc. to the data gathering.

would be so nice if one could connect your phone to a monitor and so on.

[jagdtigger]

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

No 3rd party software... Except the closed source third party file manager (total commander) and the closed source third party plugin.

Except neither will snoop around in your stuff, but if you really want clutch that straw ill cut it with kde connect..... (it has windows client FYI)

[Monkey Dust]

6 hours ago, mr moose said:

I see a dark day in our future when you won't be able to transfer anything between your phone and computer without creating an account with some company.

Graphene OS and Linux will save us! (hopefully)

[AlTech]

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Wow, did everyone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today or something? People are so mad for seemingly no reason.

 

I mean, what else would they use?

Microsoft's Nearby Sharing feature of Windows.

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Nearby Sharing is Microsoft's own proprietary protocol for file transfer that is unrelated to "nearby share" from Google. Chances are Google doesn't have access to Microsoft's "nearby sharing".

Google does have access.

 

Microsoft licenses their code examples of how apps can implement it under the MIT license.

 

The actual tech itself relies on the Windows SDK but Google already has access to this considering they use it to build Chromium and Chrome.

 

If Google wanted to use it they would have used it instead of their own proprietary solution.

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I don't think Microsoft is interested in abandoning their own technology in favor of Google's, even though Google's is more widely supported. Hell, Google's nearby sharing is available to more versions of Windows than Microsoft's own protocol.

Why would Microsoft need to abandon their own technology? Why shouldn't Google use the solution provided by the OS Manufacturer, Microsoft in this case, to enable this?

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I think it is very clear that they do NOT want to work together. This is just more evidence of how Google and Microsoft are not interested in working together.

Microsoft is (probably) interested. Google isn't, they still have the attitude they used to have with Windows Phone.

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

What exactly do you want the companies to do?

It would be nice if they could just get along and not avoid working together and not fight each other.

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

really don't see how the latter sounds like an easier and less complicated process to anyone.

Some people don't want Google spyware on their PC.

 

And some people don't use Windows.

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Also, you don't have to worry, file transfer between Windows and Android is not the reason why we haven't seen phones without USB ports yet.

 

 

I've only used it a few times, but when I have it's been with other people, or in some rare cases like I worked on a document on my PC and then wanted to be able to view the file on my phone later, so I sent it over.

I don't think a lot of people will use this feature, but I think it's nice to have

 

[Quackers101]

but which smart product do you trust?

samsungs