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

blog.google

251–260 of 585 posts

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

#251

Does anyone remember the old YouSendIt? That was a really easy way to share files with anyone. You uploaded a file to their site, and you should share a secret link.

That’s more or less how iMessage works when you send a file. It encrypts the file on your device, uploads it to iCloud, and then sends a link and the decryption key as an iMessage (so it’s E2EE) to the recipient.

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

#252

Why is quick share buried in the settings menu, instead of being an app? Especially when receiving a file, it makes no sense to start by going into settings.

You can add it to the quick settings tiles in the notification shade, they show that exact flow in the blog post.

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

#253
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...

Thank you for the pro-consumer regulation, EU.

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

#256
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...

I was experimenting with this technology almost a decade ago as part of my work as interaction designer: https://darker.ink/writings/Mobile-design-with-device-to-dev... It has a lot of potential but unfortunately it has been kept back until now by lack of support and interoperability.

Waayy back in 2009 we had Bump [1], which allowed transfer between devices and later web apps as well – by banging your phone against the spacebar. It worked 98% of the time and was faster than AirDrop is today, even though we only had 3G.

Google acquired it and immediately killed it.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bump_(application)

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

#257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AirDrop uses P2P wifi for the actual transfer which can make it significantly faster than transferring through the internet, which makes a big difference for photos, videos, and other large files. It also works out in the middle of a forest where there are no wireless connections as well as it works in the middle of NYC.

It’s great. I used it to move entire folders from my Mac to an account-less iPad with no Internet connection. I thought it was going to be slow, but hundreds of gigabytes was fully transferred in less than a minute.

> hundreds of gigabytes was fully transferred in less than a minute.

yeah right

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

#258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was experimenting with this technology almost a decade ago as part of my work as interaction designer: https://darker.ink/writings/Mobile-design-with-device-to-dev... It has a lot of potential but unfortunately it has been kept back until now by lack of support and interoperability.

Waayy back in 2009 we had Bump [1], which allowed transfer between devices and later web apps as well – by banging your phone against the spacebar. It worked 98% of the time and was faster than AirDrop is today, even though we only had 3G. Google acquired it and immediately killed it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bump_(application)

Waaay back when in Japan, sekigaisen (infrared) was a verb meaning to transfer contact details or photos or whatever between phones via infrared. It was amazing how fast the iPhone took over Japan and killed off their quirky phone ecosystem.

Edit: want to emphasize that it was totally ubiquitous. Every phone has it

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

#259
post #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…

Just a tip - You can put any string as your name for your Apple ID. you can also change it at any time. I have it as Mac Book. It's not checked when making any credit card payment, AFAIK.

Is anything but the zip code actually checked ever? Besides the number and cv2 or whatever.

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

#260
post #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 ..."

A bit of a leap to assume that your Apple ID (or the name you give your iphone) is your full legal name ... or related to any name at all ...

My apple ID is built specifically for just that phone and is jettisoned when I upgrade/change the phone. The apple ID is not related to my own name.

I don't consider this an aggressive - or even interesting - privacy practice.

Did you use your full legal name when you signed up with Blizzard for WoW ? Why would you do anything different for Apple ?

They are not the IRS. They are not a passport agency. They are not the government. Stop treating them that way.

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