Android’s Nearby Share Feature Coming To Third-Party Apps To Share More Than Just Files

Google has made a lot of progress on the Nearby Share feature. The capability has been long in the making and works flawlessly to share files between two Android smartphones. The search giant’s persistent efforts have resulted in more smartphone OEMs announcing cross-device connectivity. Now, the company wants developers to include Nearby share cross-device connectivity within their apps.

Currently, Nearby Share allows you to share text, files, and other information between Android devices and Chromebooks. At I/O 2022, Google demonstrated how to copy URLs, text, or image from your phone and paste it to your tablet. The firm now wants to ensure that all apps, not only the operating system, provide similar cross-device experiences.

The company is in the process of finalizing the basic structure and capabilities that will allow devices throughout the Android device ecosystem to add value to one another. Google is developing APIs to provide bidirectional communication between devices, allowing two devices to not only communicate with one another but also share a similar purpose. The business wants to offer cross-platform development, including Chrome OS, iOS, Windows, and other platforms in addition to Android.

Google explains that you can use this new feature to read an article on your phone and then continue reading it on your tablet. Moreover, you can share your location with someone nearby. In terms of implementation, these developer tools will first be available through Google Play Services, but the aim is to integrate them into AOSP beginning with Android U. An early preview of this will be available in Q2 2022.