This Hands-On Video Shows How Android's Version Of Airdrop Works

Android has taken inspiration from iOS’s Airdrop and makes its own sharing feature named Nearby Sharing. A video on XDA Developers posted recently has given us a closer look at how the feature works in real life.

While the video demonstrates how Nearby Sharing helps to send a video file from a Pixel 2 XL to a Pixel 4, XDA said that the feature also works on OnePlus handsets too.

There is no denying that AirDrop is handy in many situations and Google seems to want to be a part of the market. However, so far, its effort has not yet brought the success it wants. Google’s Files app does have a similar function to send files but what it wants is a feature that is integrated into the OS itself.

We have heard of Google’s work to make its champion to take on AirDrop for a while but this is the first time we have the chance to see it in action.

In the video, we can see that Nearby Sharing is now right in the settings menu of Android. While the function seems to have a flaw, evidence of unfinished work as it failed to share one file, when the process started, the sharing happens quickly via Wi-Fi.

Nearby Sharing works best when the two devices are in a one-foot parameter from each other; however, if you do not want other devices to discover yours, you can always customize the range as you wish.

Making a competitor for Apple’s AirDrop is not the ambition of Google alone. Samsung also has its own standard to do the same task. Last year, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Oppo announced that they were working on their own sharing protocol.

Nearby Sharing will eventually make it to every Android phone and since we have seen it works in real life, the official release day might not be too far away.