- Google is forcing OEMs to integrate the Quick Share device visibility consent screen into the setup wizard.
- This requirement will apply to devices launching with Android 15 or higher.
- Integrating this page will hopefully boost awareness and adoption of Quick Share among Android users.
If you want to share files between Chromebooks, Windows PCs, and Android devices, there are a lot of file sharing services you can choose from that do the job, but Quick Share has the lowest barrier to entry. That’s because it’s baked into most Chromebooks as well as most Android devices, so you don’t have to download additional software to send or receive files. However, many people aren’t even aware their device has Quick Share, which adds a bit of friction to file transfers. Thankfully, Google and its OEM partners are adding a Quick Share page to Android’s setup wizard that will hopefully boost awareness and adoption of the file sharing tool.
Google rolled out Quick Share (formerly Nearby Share) in 2020 to all Android devices running Android 6.0 or higher with the Google Play Services app installed. As Google Play Services is bundled with the Google Play Store, it’s available on the vast majority of phones and tablets that run Android. That means that Quick Share is available on hundreds of millions of Android phones and tablets around the world, giving it a similar level of availability as Apple’s AirDrop feature. Unfortunately, there are many Android users who have no idea Quick Share even exists, leading to many people asking if Android even has a comparable file sharing tool.