We are in that part of the year where we witness the launch of Google’s new Android Operating System. The launch is expected to be in August but, as always rumors and leaks have started to surface. Previously, a while back, it was reported by Cnet.com that, the company is finding it hard to name the new version of the Android OS. The reason being no dessert name is popular that starts with the letter Q. As stated by Google;

The author of the above report coins “Quince Jam” as the new name for the Android Q or Android 10, which in my opinion is going to be highly unlikely. However, as we closing in at the launch of the Android Q, it was confirmed by XDA Developers that the Android Q will drop the Android Beam feature from its operating system. For those you have not used this feature, Android Beam allows you to share your files and data via NFC. But, according to the report posted by XDA Developer, Google is preparing to deprecate the API and will get rid off the Android Beam function.

-Sameer Samat, Google’s VP of Product Management for Android and Play

However, I along with many other users won’t miss the Android Beam option as it was hardly ever used by me on my device. But, there are some fans and user of the Android Beam feature mainly because of the availability. For a matter a fact, the Android Beam feature is available on every Android Smartphone that is there in the market. Then again, Google pushed its new file sharing application called the Files by Google, for sharing and managing files.

But, according to recent reports from 9to5Google.com, the company is working on a Fast Share application which will have the features of the AirDrop file sharing application. AirDrop application is Apple’s product and it is used on Apple devices to seamlessly share files and other data across Apple devices. With this report, one thing is clear that Google will come up with a new file-sharing application which will the features like the Apple AirDrop.

According to a tweet by Mishaal Rehman, who is a Senior Developer at XDA Developers, he shared a tweet with some screenshot of the application;

Good find, but I question how “exclusive” this is given that the activities are both exported and enabled, meaning you don’t even need root to enable them.https://t.co/rsx9dMNtQV pic.twitter.com/DBihThflus

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 29, 2019

Also, another recognized member of the XDA Developer community, Quinny899, shared the below screenshot of the application.

From the screenshots shared by Quinny899, it is clear that the application is almost on verge of its release and we might see it even before the launch of Android Q. But, we will have to wait till that happens. However, from the looks of it, you can see that Google’s new File-sharing tool allows the user to share nearby devices without the internet. It is more or less similar to a function which we used to have with Android Beam. Moreover, this new app uses the Bluetooth function on your device to perform a handshake with the nearby device rather than the NFC which was used in Android Beam. The Bluetooth connection will connect with the nearby device and will then use the WiFi connection to send or receive files between two smartphones.

This will allow the user to share large sized files very easily and quickly. One more interesting thing that is there within the application is that Fast Share allows you to give your device “Preferred Visibility” to nearby devices. This feature lets the connected devices always see your device when you are nearby, even if you’re not using Fast Share.

 

You can check out the image below of the new file sharing application.

The app is similar to the AirDrop app of Apple that allows you to share one or more files very easily and conveniently. You will now see a Fast Share option on the sharing button instead of Android Beam. After this, you can pick the device from the scanning menu and send the files. The function currently shows generic share targets, including a Chromebook, a Google Pixel 3, an iPhone, and a smartwatch. However, it is not clear whether this app will come as a replacement on all the Android version for the Android Beam or it will be exclusive to Android Q OS. What I believe is that it should be a replacement for the Android Beam as this new file sharing option requires only Bluetooth and WiFi. But, for concrete news, we will have to wait until its stable release.

Source: XDA Developers