Tech News
← Back to articles

One UI 8.5 could bring back an old-school file sharing feature that was killed years ago

read original related products more articles

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

TL;DR Strings within the leaked One UI 8.5 build suggest that Samsung is working on NFC-based file sharing using Quick Share.

This experimental feature will allow users to start file transfers by bringing their devices close together.

One UI 8 has just started reaching several Galaxy phones in its stable avatar, but thanks to a leaked One UI 8.5 build, we already have plenty of details about what is coming next for Samsung devices. We’ve seen leaks for the Settings page, and discovered new features such as Photosensitive Epilepsy protection, Private Display, Automatic Call Screening, and more. We’ve now spotted strings within the alleged One UI 8.5 builds indicating that Samsung could bring file sharing with Quick Share using NFC.

These new strings were in Korean, so we’ve translated them into English:

Code Copy Text This experimental feature allows you to share files directly with nearby devices using Quick Share using NFC. Using NFC NFC

As the strings mention, this NFC-based file sharing with Quick Share will likely be an experimental feature, so users will likely have to opt in to use it. Since it will use NFC, users can start the transfer process by bringing their devices close to each other, much like the Android Beam process of the past. Android Beam used Bluetooth to share files once the NFC handshake was complete, but we don’t expect Quick Share to use Bluetooth as its primary choice, as Wi-Fi Direct is much faster.

The NFC transfer will allow users to play an animation, which they can seemingly configure:

Code Copy Text The animation will play as configured on the sending device. Select a type from the tabs below. NFC Animation

Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search — find out more here.

... continue reading