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Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

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Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#181

Around 2008 I saw two girls, not too versed in technology, share a mp3 song over bluetooth. At the time I thought that if technology finally arrived at the point where "normal people" could be able to do things that required lots of technical knowledge just a few years ago then we were very close to a future where technology could be a giant enabler of powers to everyone. I am really ashamed by how wrong I was and ho…

In high school (2003-2007) it was super easy for any of my friends and I (varying technical levels) to send arbitrarily large files to each other with AOL Instant Messenger's Direct Connect. Honestly not even sure how a non-technical person would do that nowadays.

Nowadays it's done by uploading something to Google drive and then sharing the link so someone can then download it.

Expensive, overly complex, and stupidly slow.

Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#182
post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember reading somewhere Apple had/has to make AirDrop interoperable due to EU's DMA.

Well since absolutely no one buys Pixeld to a first approximation and mostly in the US. Looking at different sites it’s from 3-6% marketshare. I doubt this was done for the DMA.

> Developers will be able to integrate alternative solutions to Apple’s AirDrop and AirPlay services on the iPhone. As a result, iPhone users will be able to choose from different and innovative services to share files with other users and cast media content from their iPhones to TVs.

https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/questions-and-answe...

Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#183
post #146

This is based on Wi-Fi Aware: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Alliance#Wi-Fi_Aware Some background: https://www.ditto.com/blog/cross-platform-p2p-wi-fi-how-the-... On the Apple side, this was prompted by the EU Digital Markets Act: https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/questions-and-answe...

This is great! I notice that’s on the ditto blog. I can see why the ditto developers are watching with keen eyes!

I have a modern digital camera complete with wifi and bluetooth. There’s an app that lets me connect the camera to my iPhone for monitoring, remote shooting and copying photos. Very useful! But right now the only way for the camera to connect to my phone is through some super complicated song and dance, involving my phone requesting a connection over Bluetooth, then the camera running a wifi access point that my phone connects to (during which time my phone disconnects from my home wifi). It’ll be wonderful when my camera can use wifi aware instead, and this can all happen instantly, without permission prompts and without booting me off wifi in the process.

Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#184
Possibly relevant comment from a few years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26893693

>AirDrop also shares your full name (seemingly the one associated with your Apple ID, not what you have set for yourself in your contacts), both by displaying it in the sharing interface on the involved devices and by attaching it as an extended attribute to uploaded files.

>So if you AirDrop some files to your computer and then zip them up, anyone you send that zip to (a journalist, a public file-hosting site, w/e) will have your full legal name to go with them.

Linked article from that thread is moved to https://medium.com/@kieczkowska/introduction-to-airdrop-fore... (but is archived).

I wonder if Google is adding metadata as well. Otherwise there does seem to be the problem of, for example, threats being AirDropped in a public place.

Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or react to images sent by those that can.

Is replying not enough? I always feel like react is a lazy way to avoid replying

A text is already a lazy way to avoid speaking.

Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#186
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AirDrop is cool because it works offline with relatively high bandwidth using local RF. If you want to wait for you and the target to transmit all the data to/from some server 1000 miles away (using up your precious bandwidth quota along the way) that’s always been an option.

I just airdropped 130 photos from my phone to my coach and I was sure it would take forever. The preparing stage on my phone took maybe 10 seconds, and the actual transfer took what looked like 2 seconds. I couldn't believe it.

Yes, it turns out computers are extremely fast when we're not doing backflips through networks and servers all over the country to do simple tasks.

Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#187
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100% of the time when I want to share a file from my phone to another phone, the other phone is not owned by me and I can’t just install some software on it

Wormhole can be run in the browser easily.

That’s cool, I actually didn’t know that!

Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#188

The fact that I get excited about this is actually a good representation much vendor lock there is. We used to be able to send files over Bluetooth before the iPhone came out.

Ever since the iphone apple has been trying to make you believe files aren't a thing.

They did a pretty hard reverse on that. There's now a full Files app with integration with other apps (cloud storage, asset managers like Adobe, terminals for SSH transfers, etc). Unfortunately a lot of apps have never caught up and will only save stuff in the pre-Files sandboxes and not the shared local or cloud containers.

Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well since absolutely no one buys Pixeld to a first approximation and mostly in the US. Looking at different sites it’s from 3-6% marketshare. I doubt this was done for the DMA.

> Developers will be able to integrate alternative solutions to Apple’s AirDrop and AirPlay services on the iPhone. As a result, iPhone users will be able to choose from different and innovative services to share files with other users and cast media content from their iPhones to TVs. https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/questions-and-answe...

You realize that doesn’t say what you think it says in your own quote of the citation?

Apple has to allow alternate solutions on the iPhone - not that they have to allow AirDrop interoperability.

Re: Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10

#190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So is Airdrop now less secure or private? I don't trust any standard Google had their hands in.

First time I hear about Google tech being insecure or not private. Sure they siphon all the info THEMSELVES, but never have I heard about them implementing insecure protocols.

> but never have I heard about them implementing insecure protocols.

That's because they don't. Google takes security seriously. There's a reason GrapheneOS is only supported on Pixel devices currently as well, because of certain hardware security features.

Nothing you do with Google is private from Google but it's certainly designed to belong only to Google, your data is one of their most important assets. Of course they are going to secure it and prevent others besides themselves from getting or using it.

It's the most common misconception with Google, that they "sell your information." They don't, they never have. They use your info, aggregated with all other Google users, to sell targeting for ads. They don't sell the actual data.

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