Nearby Share for Windows is a beta app Google launched at CES 2022 to transfer files between Android and PC.
The Close by Offer Beta for Windows application is accessible as a direct download from android.com for Windows 10 and more current (64-cycle rendition) with “ARM gadgets not upheld.” Google mentions a 16-foot (5-meter) transfer proximity between devices, which must be enabled on your PC.
You can “quickly transfer photos, videos, documents, audio files or entire folders between your Android device and Windows PCs” with this application. Google positions it as being helpful when you need to “alter your photographs on a bigger screen or coordinate your computerized envelopes.”
Nearby Share Beta
To customize your sharing preferences, such as “only allowing your contacts to share with you,” you will be prompted to sign into your Google Account after installation. However, there is also a choice to “Use without an account.”
Nearby Share Beta works with your Windows PC whether the app is open on the desktop or running in the background.
You can send via drag-and-drop or right-clicking on a file and selecting “Send with Nearby Share” with the window’s Material 3 design and blue accent. The icon for the application is a blue double helix.
The device visibility controls in Nearby Share for Windows are identical to those in Android: Everyone, including your contacts and devices; nobody else.
Sending files to your own devices is even faster. As long as both devices are logged into your Google account, file transfers are automatically accepted even if your screen is off.
You have the option to either Open or Dismiss a transfer. Google says, “all Close by Offer exchanges is safeguarded by E2E encryption.”
Google states that this beta is “rolling out in the United States and select regions worldwide.” At the moment, sharing is only supported on Windows PCs and Android devices (smartphones and tablets). In the future, Google claims to “expand official support to share content with other Google ecosystem devices.”
Nearby Share Beta for Windows PCs is not currently supported within the following regions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Donbas, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
The download is currently available in the United States. But users in Europe at least in France are not offered the website option. Having said that, there are no installation restrictions once you have the file.