What you need to know
- Google Nearby Share recently launched in beta on Windows PCs.
- The app allows you to share photos and files back and forth between supported devices, which now includes PCs and Android smartphones.
- Google expanded support for Nearby Share (beta) to several more countries recently.
Windows PC owners have a new way to connect their system to their Android device on the way. Google recently added Nearby Share (beta) to the Microsoft Store. Now, a much larger number of users can test the app.
Nearby Share (beta) was already available in select countries, but it can now be downloaded around the world. A Google support document states that the app is available in "most countries globally" (via Android Police). Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria are the only countries that don't have support at the moment.
Nearby Share has been around for years, and it is a handy way to send files between supported devices. But with it being limited to Android devices, Nearby Share was never really a competitor to Apple's AirDrop. That could change with the addition of Windows support.
Here are the minimum requirements to use Nearby Share (beta), as listed by Google. Note that Windows on ARM devices are not supported:
- A computer with a 64-bit version of Windows 10 and up.
- An Android device with Android 6.0 and up. Learn how to turn on Nearby Share on Android.
- Turn on Bluetooth on both devices.
- If your Windows device doesn't support BLE Extended Advertising, other people may not be able to find and share with you on certain networks.
- Turn on Wi-Fi or ethernet on both devices.
- Connect both devices to the same network.
- Make sure the devices are within about 16 feet, or 5 meters, of each other.
You'll also need to install the Nearby Share app for Windows and set it up.
