Google Playstore Nearby Share is the latest feature on Playstore that all Android users should know about.

Apps these days need to be updated frequently and regularly. If you use an Android device, then you’ll have to update apps via Google Playstore. This is especially true in the case of apps owned or managed by Google LLC or Facebook. They seem to be updated daily! Other apps, thankfully, are not updated as frequently and one could get a breather in between updates. This is very true of games for the most part but the updates for games like PUBG or CODM are huge! We are talking gigabytes.

How People Update Their Apps

For most people, the traditional method of updating apps is by using data or Wi-Fi on Playstore. The other method is by side-loading them either from your friends or a third-party website.

Downloading and side-loading apps from a third-party website costs data and the app could end up being incompatible, buggy, or even worse, infected with adware and malware.

For the above reasons, most people prefer to receive app updates from friends via Xender and side-load them.

Side-loading apps from friends too may run into the incompatibility brickwall as well. This is because developers code apps separately for different phones based on SoC types.

Read: All major Smartphone SoCs according to their tiers

What could work for a Redmi Note 7 (Snapdragon 660) may not work for a Redmi 9a (Mediatek Helio G25).

Well, that could be a thing of the past. With the Google Play Store Nearby Share feature, you could simply transfer apps from your Playstore to a friend’s Playstore app over a Wi-Fi connection.

Read: All you need to know about WiFi and Bluetooth on Smartphones

When downloading or updating apps via Playstore, Google’s AI ensures that you download a compatible version for your phone. So that removes the problem of incompatibility (but not entirely).

How to use the Google Play Store Nearby Share feature

1. Update your Playstore app.

Simply open your Playstore, and tap on the three dots at the top left-hand corner of the screen to bring out the drop-down menu. Scroll down to settings and click on it. After that is done, scroll down till you see the app version.

You have to be on version 24 and above to enjoy this feature. Tap on the app version twice to update it.

2. Wait for the app to update

You would then have to wait for anything between a few seconds and some minutes for the app to update.

When that is done, return to the drop-down menu and click on my apps and games.

The share feature should now be available on your Play Store.

3. Use the Nearby Share feature to send and receive files

To do this, simply tap on share. It’ll give you the option to either send or receive.

4. Sending and receiving

To send, simply click on “send” and you’ll be asked to either turn on your location or allow the app to turn it on. After that, a list of apps that can be sent will pop up.

After choosing the apps to be sent, a popup window will then appear which should allow the sender to choose a receiver.

Receiving is very easy. Just click receive. You’ll receive a pairing request, where you’ll both be shown a pairing code. Follow the instructions and it’s that easy.

Caveats

Please note that paid apps and other side-loaded apps are not supported by this feature and cannot be sent. You will have to stick to good old Xender for that.

If for some reason, you wanted to update or transfer an app/game or introduce a friend to one without having to spend time or data. Google Playstore Nearby Share feature is the best bet for you.

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