What you need to know
- Google is widely rolling out new features for its popular Quick Share tool on Android devices.
- Quick Share users can now take advantage of a new QR code option to send their files to other users.
- The recipient can quickly scan the QR code to get the files via a link.
Quick Share is a nifty equivalent to Apple’s AirDrop for Android users. Although it has been around for a while on Android handsets, the Quick Share feature adds new ways to share files with other users.
Android phone users can now share files via Quick Share using a QR code, which will make it easier for recipients to receive files and also make it more secure. This feature was in the process of being widely deployed (via 9to5Google) when it was announced last month and initially spotted in May last year.
Until now, users who wanted to share photos or files had to enable the quick share feature either with their contacts or with everyone nearby, which showed device availability on almost all Android devices near. However, new QR code sharing users can now tap the “User QR code” feature, which will be visible in the “Send to nearby devices” pane.
Pressing it further will reveal the QR code and the number and types of files a user wants to send. The recipient can now scan the code from their Android phone and click on the quick share link (quickshare.google) to get the original files. There is also a nifty prompt on the QR code indicating that the recipient on the Android phone should scan the corresponding code.
This eliminates the need to keep searching for contacts or pairing new nearby devices because scanning a QR code is a little easier. Additionally, the QR code can be read by multiple Android devices, which means multiple nearby users can benefit from quickly receiving the original files, which can be a savior during gatherings or events.
Android users on the latest version of Quick Share (version 24.49.33) will be able to see the features on their devices, as the rollout has just started.
