Recently, Google made Nearby Share available for Windows PCs to make file sharing between devices easier. Samsung’s file-sharing application, Quick Share, allows users to transfer files between Windows and Android devices, but it has been restricted to Samsung’s ecosystem until now. This feature is similar to Apple’s AirDrop, which allows users to share images, videos, and files without compromising anything.
Samsung has updated its Quick Share on the Microsoft Store, allowing any computer with Intel Bluetooth and Wi-Fi drivers to use Quick Share.
It is still unknown if it will be available on Android devices, but it should be, because what is the point of having it on Windows if it is not available on non-Samsung Android devices? I have tried installing it on my desktop, but it seems like it still needs to be functional. Over time, it will be made available to everyone.
You can download Quick Share from the Microsoft Store. However, to use Quick Share on a non-Samsung Windows desktop, your device must have Intel’s Bluetooth v22.50.02 or higher and Intel’s Wi-Fi Driver v22.50.07 or higher. Surprisingly, it has only been made available to Intel-exclusive devices, and you cannot use it on network cards from other manufacturers like MediaTek. The company has not announced anything about it yet.
If you do have the recommended graphics card, then before proceeding, ensure that you have updated your Windows to the latest version. If you own a Samsung device, it comes pre-installed, and you can use it on Samsung’s Galaxy Books, including Qualcomm-based PCs released in 2020 or later. It is still being determined if Samsung will add support for other network cards in the future.
QuickShare comes with quite interesting features. For example, it allows non-Galaxy users to scan a QR code or use a link to download files from the cloud. As for sensitive data, it has a Private Share option that encrypts up to 20 files at once, up to 200 MB, which the recipient can receive using a phone number and an identification number.
However, we have other options allowing us to transfer files between Windows and Android, such as the Phone Link app, which allows easy photo sharing. As for sharing videos or any other files, use Google’s Nearby Share on Windows. Before closing, there is one thing to mention: depending on the hardware configuration, manufacturer, and model, some features may be restricted or not function as expected.