Google’s Unified Quick Share May Resurrect ‘Use Mobile Data’ Button

UPDATE: 2024/10/11 9:52 PM EST BY KARANDEEP SINGH OBEROI

A previous version of this article mistakenly mentioned that Samsung’s Quick Share offered a toggle for ‘Use Mobile Data’. This has been corrected to accurately state that Google’s original Nearby Share offered the toggle.

• Samsung and Google’s unified Quick Share app enables seamless file sharing across Android, Windows and ChromeOS.

• The unified app could soon allow file sharing over mobile data via a toggle, as spotted in a new beta version of Play Services.

• Google’s OG Near Share app allowed file transmission over mobile data, but the feature has been removed in the unified app.

Samsung’s Quick Share and Google’s Near Share merged earlier this year into a single cross-Android solution that retained the South Korean tech giant’s branding. The Quick Share app, which essentially allows you to share files between Android, Windows and ChromeOS, uses Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi to transmit files to nearby devices.

With Google’s original iteration of the feature, users could even stream files over mobile data – and it looks like the setting is now making its way to the unified Quick Share app.

Google’s latest Play Services v24.41.32 beta adds a toggle to allow file streaming over mobile data, as highlighted by Android Authority, giving users more flexibility and control over their local file sharing experience.

It’s important to note that we don’t see the toggle after the update, so there may be certain flags that need to be changed for the feature to appear. The new file sharing option should be useful in situations where two devices are not on the same Wi-Fi network or when the file size is too large for Bluetooth to handle efficiently.

Additionally, the Android Authority report highlights that while the original Near Share’s mobile data file sharing button offered fine text “Data can be used for small files,” the toggle button in the unified app did not. offers, which may suggest that users will be able to stream large files over mobile data. However, be warned: carrier fees will apply.

Drag and drop mobile data?

In other Quick Share news, the app may soon gain a Windows-like drag and drop feature, which, as the name suggests, will let you drag photos, documents, audio and more, and drop them into Quick Share. Share. Sharing panel to broadcast.

As expected, the functionality will likely be limited to large-screen devices like tablets and foldables, and considering it was also found in a beta version of Play Services, it likely won’t be long before Google starts rolling out the feature, similar to support. to mobile data transmission.