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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

#471

Post by jeroenhd »

shaky-carrousel wrote: post #450
gumby271 wrote: post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's what was confusing to me. It's one thing for Apple to add wifi aware by force, it would be another for them to completely reimplement Airdrop with it. I don't think they were required to do that.

They were required to drop AWDL, yes. They had to reimplement AirDrop. https://www.ditto.com/blog/cross-platform-p2p-wi-fi-how-the-...

They weren't specifically required to drop AWDL, they were just required to implement WiFi-Aware in such a manner that neither technology had an advantage.

In theory Apple could've maintained both, but that seems like a waste of development time to me.

I doubt they would've had to implement any specific protocol if they had just opened up AWDL, but I suppose they'd rather keep that closed to maintain the ability to guard their walled garden in non-EU devices.

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

#472

Post by jeroenhd »

wackget wrote: post #342

Incredible! In an astounding feat, it has only taken a mere two decades to enable the world's largest tech companies to provide the most basic levels of interopability. At this breakneck speed of technological development, one can only imagine what wonderful boons await consumers in the next few decades.

It took the EU forcing Apple's hand. If it were up to Apple, you'd still need to buy an iPhone/iPod/iPad/iMac to get access to basic file sharing.

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

#473

Post by jeroenhd »

sd9 wrote: post #416
kleiba wrote: post #363

It's amazing how seemingly trivial things turn out to be really hard to be in practice. Like: - sharing files between two phones - printing a page on that printer over there - getting the projector to display my screen (correctly, or at all) - getting my wife not to click on a link in a random email

I don’t understand why printing is still so difficult in 2025

Printer manufacturers make it difficult. There are standard printing protocols but printer manufacturers will disable those until you've installed their ad-filled, subscription-filled app. If it weren't for the industrial sabotage, just plugging a USB printer into a computer or clicking "add printer" from a network browser would just work out of the box.

Mopria pretty much universally fixes printing on all competent printers by smoothing over the rough edges of IPP.

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

#474

Post by jeroenhd »

rollcat wrote: post #397
layer8 wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LocalSend requires the devices to be on the same local network. TFA is about file sharing using a direct device-to-device wireless connection.

We've had ad-hoc WiFi for about 3 decades, but that requires a level of device access that no gatekeeper will agree to anymore.

WiFi Direct has been in Android for at least a decade, maybe even a decade and a half: https://developer.android.com/develop/connectivity/wifi/wifi...

The code was added to Android with Android 4.0 back in 2011.

You can check for WiFi Direct networks manually in Settings > Network & internet > Internet > Network preferences > Wifi Direct. If you live in a city, you can probably find one or two printers in the neighbourhood advertising a WiFi Direct channel you can use to print over.

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

#475

Post by rpdillon »

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #302
rpdillon wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The file system is the ultimate API, and it gives the user an enormous amount of control to take data, copy it, back it up, transform it, encrypt it, send it places, restore it, etc. Apple likes to have far more control than that.

You realize that you can copy files gl and from other providers like Google Drive, Dropbox etc from the files app on iOS just like you do on any GUI and you can also copy files from the iPhone by just plugging in a USB C mass storage device?

Never owned an iPhone, but I have familiarity. Here's Apple's instructions for "exporting" your photos from iPhone. Note: it does not say plug the iphone in and drag the photos from the "Photo" folder to your external device. It says this:

> Export photos and videos to an external storage device

> You can export photos and videos you took on your iPhone directly to an external drive, a memory card, or other storage device.

> Note: For photos and videos that have been edited, the unmodified original version will be exported.

> Connect your iPhone to the storage device using the Lightning or USB-C connector, or connect the device directly to your iPhone.

> Go to the Photos app on your iPhone.

> Select the photos and videos you want to export.

> Tap the Share button, then tap Export Unmodified Original.

> Tap your storage device (below Locations), then tap Save.

Note that you have to request permission from Apple's app before you can actually export the data. The filesystem doesn't gate you this way.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/import-and-export-pho...

So here's a question: can you export modified versions of photos that have been edited? Well, that seems to be tough. Searching around, you find wild discussions like this: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8567773?sortBy=rank

This is the kind of shenanigans I'm referring to. No access to just copy data from the app. Android has a similar issue with apps, but at least the filesystem is a first class citizen on Android. That is, I can simply copy any photos directly off my phone like it's USB mass storage.

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

#476

Post by jeroenhd »

p0w3n3d wrote: post #7
mcoliver wrote: post #6

Why only the pixel 10? What piece of hardware is the pixel 9 (one year old) missing?

Yay if you pay additional fee you will maybe get Bluetooth file sending to PC

QuickShare already works for Android Windows/ChromeOS, though.

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

#478

Post by jeroenhd »

linsomniac wrote: post #463

Has anyone gotten this to work? I tried with my Pixel 10 and my wife's iPhone 14, and her phone said something like "You can't do this with Android phones".

The iPhone needs iOS 26 and the Pixel needs the software updates Google started rolling out yesterday. You may need to update everything/wait for the magical A/B testing algorithm to permit you to update.

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

#480

Post by richwater »

mid-kid wrote: post #446
wackget wrote: post #342

Incredible! In an astounding feat, it has only taken a mere two decades to enable the world's largest tech companies to provide the most basic levels of interopability. At this breakneck speed of technological development, one can only imagine what wonderful boons await consumers in the next few decades.

The astounding feat of reinventing Bluetooth...

Airdrop has nothing to do with Bluetooth
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