Android’s ‘Nearby Share’ file sharing feature is launching

It only took Google nine years to catch up to AirDrop. Google is launching a new Android feature called “Nearby Share” that enables direct sharing between any device running Android 6 and up. 

Nearby Share works very much like Apple’s AirDrop feature for the iPhone: you simply select the Nearby Share button on the share menu and then wait for a nearby phone to appear. Google says it’s even possible to “send and receive files anonymously.” This could potentially be an annoyance.

Nearby Share works between Android phones and will work with Chromebooks “in the coming months,” but it can’t share to iOS devices, Macs, or Windows machines at this time. Plans are coming in future updates with no definitive time-line.