Android’s ‘Nearby Share’ feature now lets you share apps and app updates with others. Seen as Google’s answer to Apple’s Airdrop, Nearby share feature so far allowed users to share content like videos, photos, links and app intents wirelessly.
Earlier without the new feature of Nearby Share, one could share apps using Google Files Go but there was always the complicated workaround of sharing APKs and sideloading involved with it. The new feature will make sharing apps easier, more direct and built right into the Play Store. A new Share menu will come in your App & Games sections which will let you send apps by selecting them and launching them.
Since the feature will be built into the Play Store users do not need to deal with differences in the architecture of the app as in App Bundles and there is no hassle of sideloading involved.
The feature was likely to arrive in late December or January but that did not happen.
With the new feature, the transfers will become more seamless with the least user interaction. But both the sender and receiver should have the options active on their Play Store for a successful transfer. The transfers are manual and hence will happen only if the sender permits so.
