Subj : WhatsApp on Android could soon let you share files with nearby fr To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Mon Jan 22 2024 19:15:05 WhatsApp on Android could soon let you share files with nearby friends Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2024 19:08:29 +0000 Description: New beta reveals hints of the upcoming feature for Android and you may have to shake your phone to send requests. FULL STORY ====================================================================== WhatsApp may receive its own version of Apples AirDrop as a recent Android beta shows hints that a file-sharing feature is in the works. A post on WABetaInfo offers insight into the potential update. Like AirDrop, the feature only works between two people. Both users will need to have the software open to the tool and be within close proximity to exchange files. Whats particularly interesting about this file sharing is the receiving person will need to physically shake their smartphone to create a share request. WABetaInfo explains this is to maintain a controlled approach to file exchanges between contacts. It's similar to how AirDrop lets people configure its settings so they only receive content from trusted sources. However, the website claims it will be possible to share media with non-contacts on WhatsApp. Phone numbers will remain hidden in this situation to preserve anonymity. And just like sending messaging on WhatsApp , file sharing is end-to-end encrypted according to the website, ensuring personal information and content being sent is protected from outside interference. Pending information Thats pretty much all that is known about WhatsApps file-sharing feature. A lot of the finer details have yet to be revealed. Its unknown exactly how sending media to non-contacts will work. Will all receiving users have to shake their device too or will Meta change its mind and throw out that step replacing it with a simple menu setting? Going back to AirDrop , Apples version lets you change the receiving setting to Everyone allowing non-contacts to accept content from you. Additionally, we dont know if there are any file-size limitations for shared files. The maximum size for sending media to group chats is 2GB at the moment. The upcoming feature will probably have a similar size although it would be nice to see Meta expand the limit. Considering that we live in a world where 4K videos exist, an expansion would be great to have. No word on when this update will become available to beta testers. WABetaInfo states the tool is still under development, so a preview build doesnt exist yet. If youre interested in trying out the file-sharing feature once its ready, you can become a WhatsApp beta tester by joining the Google Play Beta Program . You may be one of the lucky few to gain access down the line. Analysis: cross-platform sharing One thing we would like to see is compatibility across different operating systems. Imagine being able to send files from an Android phone to an iOS device and vice versa. It would certainly give WhatsApp an edge over Quick Share . If youre not familiar, Google and Samsung recently entered a partnership that resulted in many new products and combining Nearby Share into Quick Share. Now Android users can use the function for quick file sharing, hence the name. Assuming Meta rolls out the update in its current state, it could cause a lot of confusion as people would arguably be receiving the same thing twice. Giving WhatsApp's tool cross-platform support would make it stand out considerably. Be sure to check out TechRadar's WhatsApp channel to get all of the latest news and reviews right on your phone. You might also like WhatsApp beta introduces AI assistant to chats heres how it works WhatsApp on iOS just got a big upgrade for sharing photos and videos WhatsApp launches self-destructing voice messages to Android and iOS ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/software/whatsapp-on-android-could-soon-le t-you-share-files-with-nearby-friends --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .