Nearby Share is Google‘s alternative to Apple‘s AirDrop and works almost like it by establishing a fast and easy way to share files between Android devices. Although Nearby Share is probably not as frequently used as Apple’s sharing feature, Google hasn’t abandoned it, and soon it could receive another improvement. As tech pundit Mishaal Rahman noticed, Nearby Share may soon enable devices signed in to the same Google account to share files between themselves without the need to manually approve the operation. In other words, you will be able to send your photos and videos between your Android phone, tablet, and Chromebook with ease, without the redundant step of Nearby Share making you confirm the file transaction.
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
The idea behind approving a file transaction is to protect yourself from a possible malicious attack. However, even when transferring data from your own devices, you must also confirm the transaction, which is both unnecessary and tedious.
The Device Visibility screen is also, apparently, being reworked to mirror this change. Now, you can choose to have your Android phone visible to Everyone, Contacts only, or Your Devices only — the latter one being a new addition. You can still force an invisible mode by toggling a new button that turns Nearby Share off.
Mishaal Rahman said that the feature hasn’t been rolled out yet, but it is in the latest version of Google Play Services. This may mean that Google could soon announce the latest improvement to Nearby Share, probably at the upcoming developer conference — Google I/O —, which will start on May 11.
