For more than a year, Google has been working hard on Nearby Sharing, a practical way to share things like files, contacts and more with nearby Android devices – and Chrome. Today, the Google Play Store now offers the best example of Nearby Sharing, allowing you to share apps and updates between devices.
As first detected by our APK Insight team in September, then made official by Google in December, the Play Store is now launching the ability to share apps with nearby Android devices. To take advantage of the new functionality, it looks like you need to be on version 24.0 or later of the Google Play Store.
To start using Proximity Sharing, open the Google Play Store, touch the three-line menu button in the top corner and touch “My apps and games”. On this page, you should see some tabs at the top, one of which should say “Share”. If you don’t see the Share tab, try waiting a few minutes, as we’ve found that it may take a while for the Play Store to enable the feature after the update.
In the new Share tab on the Play Store, you have the option to allow your device to “send” or “receive” a specific app from the Play Store. Regardless of which option you choose, you’ll need to give the Play Store access to your location, which is used to determine which devices are close to share.
If you choose to submit an application, you will be taken to a list of your Android applications that are ready to be submitted. Notably, not all applications can be sent via Sharing nearby. For example, it was not possible to share the Stadia app from one device to another. Likewise, any apps that you have paid for, downloaded or are not publicly available on the Play Store cannot be shared with a nearby device.
After choosing one or more applications to send, you will need to search for a receiving device, be it a friend or family phone or a second device of yours, that has pressed the “Receive” button on Play Store. Choose a recipient and they will receive a pairing request, where they will both receive a pairing code to ensure that no one has hijacked your session.
Once paired, sharing begins, with transfer rates increasing to be shockingly fast, probably better than many home Internet connections. When the download is complete, the recipient needs to press the “Install” button for each application or press “Install all” before they can enjoy their new or updated applications. Until the sender or recipient taps the “Disconnect” button, the two devices are still connected and can share Play Store apps with each other, in both directions.
With data limits being strictly enforced in many parts of the world – even in the U.S. – the new Sharing options around the Play Store should be a fantastic way to keep data or simply a faster way to show a friend a new one. game you are playing.
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