How to use Nearby Sharing (AirDrop for Android)
This year, Google finally decided to respond to Apple’s AirDrop feature. If you are fuzzy on the details — AirDrop makes it super fast and super easy for Apple devices to share files among themselves. Just select AirDrop from the share menu and pick the device you want to send to.
How do I get Nearby Sharing?
The good news is that Nearby Sharing has started rolling out to the public and it will be available on phones that run Android 6 and above. Yes, you read that right, Google will add Nearby Sharing for phones that have not been receiving any major updates for 4 years now. It’s a part of the Play Services package, which means it should come through a behind-the-curtains update to your phone.
How to use Nearby Sharing?
Just tap “share” on the file you want to send out, then choose Nearby Sharing (the little DNA-looking icon). If this is your first time using it, you will be prompted to enable the service.
Anyway, as soon as those prerequisites are met, sharing files is a cakewalk. Once the sender initiates a transfer, the recipient will be prompted to make their phone visible, and asked if they really want to accept the specific file they are being sent. The connection is encrypted and no personal contact data is transferred between devices.
Where is the Nearby Sharing menu?
You can open the Nearby Sharing settings if you wish to disable the feature or if you want to change your privacy settings (for example — you can make yourself visible to your contacts, so you don’t always need to double confirm transfers from devices you trust).
The easiest way is to simply type Nearby Sharing in the search bar of your phone’s settings. But if you want to know exactly where the menu is — it’s in Settings → Google → Device Connections → Nearby Share.