Nearby Share is truly Android’s AirDrop and a super useful feature for transferring pictures and files between devices. However, Google is now blocking access to Nearby Share when Android users have work profiles enabled.
In an update to the October Google System Updates page, the company confirmed that Nearby Share is now disabled in work profiles. The change takes effect with v23.41 of Google Play Services which is rolling out now.
Why the removal? Google isn’t explicitly spelling anything out, but Android Police suggests that it could be for the sake of data security. Nearby Share, especially now that it has an app on Windows, makes it rather easy to transfer files to a personal device which could lead to leaks. That would certainly make sense, though it’d be nice if Google perhaps gave IT admins the option to decide whether or not managed work profiles have this blocked.
In any case, this shouldn’t have any effect on the personal use of Nearby Share, as Google says that the feature is only be disabled “in work profiles,” which implies that the functionality should still work while on a personal profile.
More on Android:
October Google System Updates: Connect Wear OS to ‘multiple phones,’ more
Google Pixel 8 Pro Initial Review: It’s all coming together
Nearby Share can send full folders to other devices, both to and from Android and Windows
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