Google’s Nearby Share is getting a big upgrade

When Nearby Share was launched in 2020, everyone was happy. They finally had a tool to compete with Apple's AirDrop, a simple way to move files between devices without having to attach them to an email or upload them to a drive.

A few users have noticed an upgrade in the Play Services that makes Nearby Share even easier. The new self-share mode appears to allow you to send files between your own devices with a single tap. The feature has been rumored for a long time but now appears to be close to being ready.

Nearby Share's "self-share" mode will let you quickly share files to other devices signed into the same Google account without needing to approve the share.



This hasn't rolled out yet from what I can see, but it's present in the latest version of Google Play Services. pic.twitter.com/wdtxoiE2oz

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) April 19, 2022

It's a good idea for security and troll reasons, but it's also an annoying additional step when you want to send a photo from your phone to the laptop in the other room. Only devices that have Nearby Share enabled, are physically close to you, and are in your account are able to share. If anyone else is not on your account, they will have to accept each share from your device.

The Nearby Share feature is an important one for the company. It's important for users to be able to move their stuff between their devices if they're going to be inside your phone, laptop, TV, speakers, and smartwatch. Apple has shown what can be done with features like AirDrop and Universal Control. It can be difficult to get the right experience for every device Apple has to offer.

Both companies know that a successful ecosystems requires more than just making things, they need to make them work together. In a perfect world, these would be cross- platform features.

The Nearby Share update is not yet available, but it is likely to be released before the May 11th start of the Google I/O conference.