A new line of recently discovered code hints that Google will soon make it possible for users to send content to four people at once using Android’s ‘Nearby Share’ feature.
Nearby Share is Google’s answer to Apple’s AirDrop that works on Chromebooks and Android smartphones. Unlike AirDrop, Nearby Share isn’t enabled by default on all Android devices, so you may need to navigate to the ‘Settings’ app to turn it on. You can find it in the ‘Bluetooth & Device connection’ subheading in Settings.
Google’s Nearby Share is preparing to add group transfer support. Right now, it seems you’ll be able to connect to a maximum of 4 other devices but can only transfer to 1 at a time. I was able to get it to let me try connecting to two devices but it then fails immediately. pic.twitter.com/8tuaGPUyB6
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) March 12, 2021
Currently, you can only send files to one person at a time, but according to Mishaal Rahman, XDA Developers’ editor-in-chief, the ability to send an item to four people is on the horizon. Through some tweaking, Rahman was able to get the feature partially working on his phone, suggesting that it will release sooner rather than later.
Right now, Nearby Share is pretty buried in the Settings of most Android devices, so hopefully, Google will continue to build on it until it becomes as ubiquitous as AirDrop.
Source: Mishaal Rahman