Nearby sharing is a technology or feature by which you can share any type of data to nearby devices via signals.
Chrome nearby sharing was introduced in Chrome OS a while ago. It has been almost one year since Chromebook got the nearby sharing feature in Chrome OS. But the project still has some problems which need to be fixed before it’s ready for the main stage. The nearby sharing in Chromebook allows you to share your data easily with your Android device.
That said, the flags needed to try out this cool new nearby sharing feature are in a stable channel and you can try them without switching the channels.
We have tested the Airdrop feature in the Canary channel and it appears to be working very well. But the fine-tuning needed to be more stable hasn’t quite made its way up the ladder at this point does not mean that you can not tinker around with it. Yes, you can.
What is Nearby Sharing and How does it work?
Nearby sharing is a feature that is introduced by Google to counter Apple’s Airdrop which allows users to share files between “nearby devices” with MAC, iPhones, Apple Watches, and other products as well.
On Android devices, Android Bean was there, but it is nearby and sharing replaces it because the Android beam relied on NFC and physical contact with Android devices.
It also simplified the sharing process of data or files that you have in your Google Photos, Google Drive, Google Docs, and any other Google service you are using. You can share any kind of file and data type.
The rollout began in the month of August 2020 for the nearby sharing on Android devices with Android version 6.0 and above that will support this feature.
On Chrome OS, this feature will have the same similarities and functionalities. Devices will leverage Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other wireless data to share the files between your Android devices to Chrome OS devices.
When you open the files’ application on your Chromebook, you will get the option to share a file via the share icon at the top of the application. Once you click on the nearby sharing option, the devices which will be near you will be prompted that someone is using the feature and they will be able to make their devices visible by clicking on the notification.
In its current state, the Chrome OS appears to be working fine, but there are some hit-or-miss chances it needs some improvements.
The feature is available in a stable version with the activation of a couple of flags. So without further delay, here are the steps by which you can enable nearby sharing features in your Chromebook without any big effort.
Steps on How to Enable Nearby Sharing in Chromebook
Step 1
To enable Nearby Sharing on Chromebook, simply point your browser to chrome://flags and search for the “nearby” option. You will see the Nearby Sharing flag there. Enable that flag and you will need to find another flag there before restarting.
Enable the “Nearby Sharing” flag but don’t start the Chromebook
Step 2
Simply search for the term “share sheet” and you will see the flag. That will allow you to add the sharing icon to your files application and allow the sharing popup to fire when you are ready to share the files.
Step 3
Once you have enabled those options click on the restart button at the bottom right corner of the page and you are all set.
Step 4
Now when you click on any file in your file app, you should have the share icon on the right between the open button and the trash icon button.
This feature is in progress, and there are bugs in the Nearby sharing feature but it’s great to see the Nearby sharing in the stable version and we are very excited to see this one in the flesh.
Hope this step-by-step guide on how to enable Nearby sharing in Chrome OS will definitely help you to share files with Nearby sharing on your Chromebook. Chrome nearby share feature will help you to transfer your data between your Chromebook and android very easily.