When Google launched Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the giant included a new feature that allowed you to share files between phones just by bringing them closer together. It was a tool called Android Beam that made things easier for many users and that served to differentiate themselves from iOS. Well, Android Q has decided to turn the page.
Android Beam disappears in Android Q
As he has been told TechRadar Through an official confirmation from Google, Android Pie will be the last version of the operating system that will include the option of share files with NFC. Android Beam was in charge of creating a point-to-point link between phones with the simple fact of touching each other and recognizing each other with the help of NFC. This link allowed all types of files to be shared between the terminals via Bluetooth, allowing the sharing of all types of information from one phone to another.
Why is Android Beam disappearing?
The question has an easy answer, and that is that there are better solutions. Perhaps for now they are not as effective and intuitive as Android Beam, but let's hope that Google is working on something that will replace it naturally. The decision is made firmly, since the Android Q beta itself no longer offers Android Beam, so the only official Google option that we can use for now is Google Files. This is a movement that sooner or later had to be applied, since Google itself had canceled the development of Android Beam last December, leaving it adrift and without the possibility of future updates. So what alternative can we use?
How to share files with Google Files
The file manager and file cleaner app includes a feature that allows you to share files between two devices that have the app installed. You just have to download Google Files on both devices, access the Share section and select "Send" and "Receive" respectively on the corresponding device to start the transfer.
Download Google Files for AndroidThe advantage of this system is that it combines Bluetooth and WiFi to achieve really high transfer speeds, so technically it is quite superior to Android Beam. The problem is that it requires the installation of the program on all the devices that want to share the data, so since it is not a function integrated into the system, it forces the user to install extra software on their computer.