Google Will Soon Bring Nearby Share To Windows PCs

Microsoft has officially confirmed that the Windows 11 OS will gain the support of Android apps. Along with other features, Google has now confirmed a new feature that will allow users to seamlessly transfer files between Android and Windows 11 PC.

Taking a dig at AirDrop and other alternatives, Google via its official Twitter handle has announced that it will soon launch Nearby Share for Windows 11 PCs.

This feature was highlighted during the company’s keynote at CES 2022. For those who do not know, Nearby Share will let you transfer files between an Android device and a Windows PC wirelessly.

In order to connect an Android device, users need to connect it to a compatible Windows PC using Fast Pair. After setting up, users will also be able to connect Bluetooth accessories, sync messages, and share files between connected devices.

As of now, only a little information has been shared by Google regarding its upcoming Nearby Share for Windows.

Google is working with Acer, HP, and Intel to bring Nearby Share to select Windows PCs later

The good thing is that Google is working with select OEMs including Acer, HP, and Intel to bring this new Nearby Share feature to select Windows PCs later this year.

Well, this is not Google’s first effort in bringing support for Nearby Share onto Windows PCs. Back in July 2021, the Nearby Share feature was spotted on Windows via Google Chrome.

Sadly, the feature wasn’t functional at that time, and it seems like the company has no plans in taking that forward. This is because the video shared by Google on Twitter shows Nearby Share working on a Windows PC without Google Chrome.

Android has offered a wireless way of file transfer for many years. Android Beam, introduced back in 2011, allowed users to transfer files by keeping two phones back to back.

It wasn’t a viable option for sending huge size files. Later in 2020, Google announced Nearby Share, which was an easy replacement for Android Beam, which was later expanded for Chromebooks in June 2021.

However, wirelessly transferring files between an Android device and Windows PC is still very difficult and users have to rely on using third-party applications to do the same.

So, a feature that would let users wirelessly transfer and manage files between Android and Windows PC coming straight from the house of Google sounds amazing. All we can do is hope Google puts the pedal to the metal and launches this new feature very soon.

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Say goodbye to emailing yourself a photo 👋. New Nearby Share updates will help you easily share files between your Android devices and Windows PCs in just a few clicks. Coming soon to @Acer, @HP and @intel. #CES2022 pic.twitter.com/9PYrNYoHOc

— Android (@Android) January 7, 2022