Android's AirDrop competitor will work on Macs, PCs, Chromebooks, and more

The feature, called Nearby Sharing, was spotted in Android 11

People pose for a picture near a Google sign and Android statue at the Googleplex in Menlo Park, California (AFP/Getty)

Software that would easily allow Android users to transfer files between devices, similar to Apple’s AirDrop, may be launching on multiple platforms.

The feature would allow Android users to share photos, links, and files with other devices.

As reported by 9to5Google, ‘Nearby Sharing’ is likely to be available on Windows, Mac, Linus and Chrome OS.

It is apparently available in the latest build of Chrome OS Canary, where a description of the feature lists the various operating systems.

‘Nearby Sharing’ was originally called ‘Fast Share’ and had reportedly been in development for over a year.

The feature is expected to run on most, but not all, Android devices and will likely work with PCs with Google Chrome installed.

‘Nearby Sharing’ also recently appeared in an Android 11 developer video. Android 11 is Google’s next OS for Android, but was delayed due to protests in the United States over the death of George Floyd.

It is likely that the feature will be announced alongside the operating system.

This is not the only change Google is making to its products. Recently, it launched a new curation app called Keen as competition to Pinterest, as well as integrating Meet video calls into the Gmail app.