What you need to know
- Google may soon show Nearby Share "targets" within your phone's share sheet.
- This is a massive upgrade, as it brings feature-parity between Nearby Share, Samsung Quick Share, and Apple AirDrop.
- It's unknown whether this is officially rolling out to all users, or if Google is just testing the change.
Google's work to improve Nearby Share continues to pay dividends, as it appears as though you'll soon be able to share files quicker than ever. The news comes from Mishaal Rahman (via @Nail_Sadykov), complete with a screenshot showing Nearby Share "targets" at the top of the Share Sheet.
Currently, in order to use Nearby Share, you'll have to select what you want to send, then locate and tap the Nearby Share button before selecting a recipient. It may not seem like much of a difference, but if you can just share something without needing to wait for Nearby Share to appear, it can really speed up the process.
Rahman states that this could be limited to just your own devices to reduce clutter on the share sheet, but it's a great first step and could lead to Google opening it up to other Nearby Share users, such as your contacts.
Nearby Share targets may soon start appearing directly in the Android system share sheet! This would save you a tap as you'd be able to select a device to send to without opening the full Nearby Share menu.In order to reduce clutter in the share sheet, this will likely only… pic.twitter.com/bp9yori0EYAugust 16, 2023
Until recently, one of the biggest complaints when it comes to the Android vs. iOS argument is Apple's implementation of AirDrop. This lets you quickly share photos, videos, and other documents from your Apple device with others, including between your own Apple devices.
However, a few months ago, Google began rolling out the Nearby Share app for Windows users before another update brought the app to more countries. This is the seamless integration that we've enjoyed between Android phones and Chromebooks and is similar to what Samsung has done with its own Quick Share feature.
At the time of this writing, we have yet to receive any update enabling the Nearby Share targets from appearing in the Share Sheet. While this is great news, it's also possible that Google is just doing some A/B testing before rolling it out to more users. Nevertheless, we're excited to see Nearby Share get some great updates, bringing more feature parity between Android and iOS.
