Google’s Nearby Share has been expanded globally, the wireless file transfer protocol is available for all users worldwide. We show you how to use Nearby Share on Windows to send and receive files from Android phones.
Nearby Share requirements
1. A device running on Android 6 (Marshmallow) or above.
2. A 64-bit computer running on Windows 10 or above.
3. Wi-Fi or Bluetooth should be available on both devices.
How to use Nearby Share on Windows to transfer files to your Android phone wirelessly
1. Download the Nearby Share app for Windows from Google’s website.
2. The file is called BetterTogetherSetup.exe. Run it, and the app will download the files and install Nearby Share on your computer.
3. There are two ways to use the app. If you choose to use without an account, you will not be able to set who can share with you. Signing in to your Google account allows you to customize the sharing settings. This will be useful to prevent people who are not in your contacts from sharing files with you.
4. Select sign in and the app will open your default browser, and prompt you to select the Google account to be used with Nearby Share. Click on “sign in” to allow the app to connect to your account.
5. Next, you will need to set up the Device Visibility. Set the name for your computer. Select the Receiving setting to configure who can send files to you. The available options are: No one, Everyone, Contacts, Your Devices.
Note: Contacts will only be able to send files to you when they are nearby. You will receive a request to approve the sharing on your device if they send files to you. The sharing requests are not sent if you are transferring files from your own devices.
6. Click on Done. Nearby Share is now ready for use on your PC.
7. Open the Settings on your Android phone, and tap on the search bar. Type Nearby Share and tap on the result. The location of the setting may differ from one phone to another. For example, the options are available under Connection and Sharing in Xiaomi’s MIUI.
8. Toggle the option that says “Use Nearby Share”.
9. Switch to the Nearby Share app on PC, and click on select files. Pick a file that you want to send to your phone, on the next page, select the device that you want to share the file with and click on it.
10. Your PC will display a pin number on the screen.
The phone will also show the same number on the screen, you can use it to confirm that the connection is made between a known device. Tap on accept to receive the file, or decline to reject the sharing.
You may use drag and drop to send files quickly, or even select folders to share several files at once.
To receive a file, click on the drop-down menu in the top left corner of the Windows app, and select the appropriate setting.
Refer to Google’s support article for more details on how to use nearby share on Windows. It is worth noting that the feature is not supported in the following Countries: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria.
