WhatsApp will add a new sharing feature, called Nearby Share, which allows users to exchange files with other users nearby between two devices running two different operating systems.
One of the benefits that users of the Apple ecosystem enjoy is the communication between their devices thanks to the AirDrop function, which allows you to quickly send and receive photos, videos, documents, geographic positions or other content wirelessly between multiple devices. On the Android side, users benefit from Nearby Share, a function that makes it very easy to exchange files between a PC and an Android device placed nearby. But how do you exchange documents between two smartphones with different operating systems?
The solution could well come from WhatsApp. Last January, Meta tested a file sharing function on the Android version of its application (see our article). The company is now testing it on iOS. Indeed, the specialized site WABetaInfo discovered in beta version 24.15.10.70 the beginnings of a local sharing system for documents, photos and videos called Nearby Share. All this, without the need for an Internet connection.
Nearby Share on WhatsApp: a sharing feature between iOS and Android
Thanks to Nearby Share on WhatsApp, it will be possible in the future to share files from an Android device to an iOS device and vice versa, without going through the Internet. While this is already possible currently through various methods, the process remains complicated.
Note, however, that the function on iOS is a little different from the version on Android. With Google’s operating system, the module seems to be able to automatically detect users nearby to initiate sharing. On iOS, however, it seems that the user must first scan a QR code displayed on the screen of the iPhone that is the source of the sharing to connect to it. It is in this QR code that all the information necessary for the connection is found. It is therefore impossible to connect to a stranger without wanting to.
As with all WhatsApp chats, transfers are end-to-end encrypted, and the feature only displays the usernames of the sender and recipient. Since the feature is still in beta, there’s no official date for when it’ll roll out to all users. But its upcoming arrival is great news! It’ll make sending files much easier, much faster for large files or when the internet connection is slow, compared to sending them through a chat.