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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

#311

Post by varenc »

ricardobeat wrote: post #256
felipeerias wrote: post #248

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)

Bump didn't use direct device-to-device communication. A central server correlated the two bumping phones, based on geolocation and accelerometer data, then swapped the data via the server. At least that's how it worked in the early days. (Wiki page confirms)

Since it's relying on your internet connection, skeptical it'd be faster than AirDrop for a large amount of data like photos. But for swapping contacts I bet it was faster since it didn't have to spend time establishing a new direct connection.

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

#312

Post by jjtech »

layer8 wrote: 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'm pretty sure this is just incorrect. According to the linked report[1], they tested it for compatibility with OpenDrop, so I think they simply implemented AWDL.

That might also explain the limited Pixel 10 rollout, if it required a specific WiFi chipset/firmware.

[1] https://www.netspi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/google-fea...

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

#313

Post by pxc »

Gigachad wrote: post #266
tuetuopay wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Despite others thinking you’re crazy, I think you are right. I remember the start of the smartphone era where many of my relatives switched to iPhone because "you know where the pictures are going and where to find them". The worst offender was my dad that had a Samsung phone running windows phone 6 (with an actual start menu) where you had to dig through folders to find jpeg files.

Desktop OSs are the worst for mixing random system files with the users own documents. Theres a better balance now where the “Files” app has your documents, downloaded stuff and similar, while system and app data is hidden.

Isn't that pretty much just Windows? That basically never occurs on Linux and it's not common on macOS, either. All the garbage I have on my work computer (a Mac) in ~/Documents is stuff that OneDrive synced over from when I used to have a Windows computer there. (If I could turn the OneDrive feature that takes over ~/Documents and ~/Downloads, I would.)

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

#315

Post by Dylan16807 »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #80
kotaKat wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I miss being able to plug my phone (of any kind) in and getting it mounted as a drive letter. Android misses the mark so much with MTP and iPhone… waves frantically at iTunes . (At least, in a weird bizarre twist, the iPhone’s Files app is actually really useful for me. I find myself formatting flash drives, copying stuff from network shares, etc, all from my phone and it’s so nifty to have nearly-first-class feature…

MTP is really, really bad. I have a better experience managing files on iOS devices using Linux than I do managing files on Android devices using macOS simply because available MTP implementations are so awful. I know that read/write conflict concerns are what got USB Mass Storage mode removed from Android, but surely there's some way to resolve that. Like it wouldn't bother me a bit if Android just locked the device…

Or they could have figured out a new version of MTP that supports basic features like concurrent access and normal metadata. Or they could have gone for SMB/NFS over a virtual network link. Anything but this horrible interface they've doubled down on.

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

#316

Post by jgord »

One of my many side projects was a thing called ODO .. linux box hooked up to the TV, running a web browser provided and intranet web page where you can browse media and files tree and thus share files.

Could also use it to play media - so a phone or tablet could act as a remote control from anywhere in wifi reach, and play music on the main TV screen / speakers or on the local device.

Was pretty cool, but didnt have the funds to commercialize it.

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

#317

Post by [deleted] »

j1elo wrote: post #282
thewebguyd wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> big tech That's why. TCP/IP was DARPA, so publicly (taxpayer) funded. The first HTTPd was public domain. WiFi was a bit of a combo of Vic Hayes & Bell Labs, IEEE and a research org so not exactly a public or public domain project. Big tech and profit/rent seeking is literally the problem. Things don't interoperate because it's not profitable for them to interoperate. We stopped undertaking large public works projec…

So does this constitute an example that the liberal ideal of companies competing for the best product -with no or minimal amount of public money forced to go this way for public development- ends up becoming basically a miserable and lacking experience for end users during decades? (admittedly it sounds to me like if private companies had invented TCP-IP, the consequences would basically be terrible connectivity prod…

[deleted]

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

#318

Post by varenc »

dataflow wrote: post #265

What I want to know is under what circumstances Quick Share will send the files over the internet, and how exactly I can prevent that and force it to go solely over the local network. Nearby Share had the ability to control this, and it seems they deliberately removed it from Quick Share.

AirDrop compatible Quick Share isn't even going over the local network. It create an adhoc device-to-device wireless connection and the files are sent that way. So the two phones don't even need to be on wifi or be on the same network at all. The local network isn't involved.

Given this, I think there's minimal risk of it sending files over the internet.

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

#319

Post by lmm »

buildbot wrote: post #259
NaomiLehman wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

They get compared yes, and it feeds into the fraud likelihood score that the merchant gets sent. And then usually chooses to ignore, because they make more from going ahead with the transaction than from stopping because it's suspicious, but it makes it easier for the credit card industry to put the liability on them.

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

#320

Post by jeromegv »

justsomehnguy wrote: post #290
dizzant wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve never heard of this. Are you saying I could enter “MyLocal Bank” as the payer name instead of my own when transacting online with a credit card? This seems like the kind of fact that should be essential privacy knowledge if true!

Well, try it. But don't blame if some over zealous merchant would deny you without refund despite receiving you money.

This might not work super well if your package is crossing border either. Sure it's your billing address and not your shipping address, but sometimes they are all the same.
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