News

WhatsApp Developing Offline File Sharing Similar To AirDrop

The new beta feature for iOS and Android will be called Nearby Share, and allows users to share files offline with nearby devices.

Published

2 years ago

July 24, 2024

Nour Nasir

whatsapp developing offline file sharing similar to airdrop

Popular messaging platform WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will significantly improve the way users share files. According to WABetaInfo, the upcoming file-sharing update will allow users to send documents, photos, videos, and other files to nearby devices without needing an internet connection. The feature will be available for both Android and iOS devices, though both versions are currently still in beta.

WABetaInfo’s report included an image showing a scanner interface that will facilitate the sharing of various file types. The new feature, named Nearby Share, will function similarly to Apple’s AirDrop, with the iOS version using a QR code for file sharing and Android devices also utilizing proximity detection technology.

The introduction of offline file sharing is a significant step forward for WhatsApp, and especially helpful for users in areas with patchy internet access. Nearby Share will be particularly useful for transferring large files, such as high-resolution images, videos, and important documents.

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Eventually, the new feature is expected to be compatible with most operating systems, regardless of device type. Additionally, the transfers will be end-to-end encrypted, ensuring that only the intended recipients can access the shared data, helping to maintain user privacy and security.

It’s important to note that Nearby Share is still in its early stages. As the development continues, the final product may see changes or improvements from the current beta version. It is also possible that the iOS version may eventually adopt functionality similar to the Android one, relying on proximity detection instead of QR code scanning.

News

At I/O 2026, Sundar Pichai Concedes AI Must Deliver Real Value

Gemini 3.5, a personal agent called Spark, agentic shopping, and Android XR eyewear are all aimed at making AI feel useful, not just impressive.

Published

6 days ago

May 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

at io 2026 sundar pichai concedes ai must deliver real value

Google

Google’s annual I/O developer conference (I/O 2026) has recently become a status update on the same question: can the company turn its AI spending into products people use every day? This year, chief executive Sundar Pichai described Google as being in a phase of hyper progress, while conceding this is the part of the cycle where people want to see real value in the products they use on a day-to-day basis.

The strategy on display was to push agents — AI systems that act on a user’s behalf — into nearly every Google product at once. Search now has an “intelligent search box” that returns generated explainer videos alongside links. Gmail, Docs, YouTube and Maps are gaining their own agent layers, including a Docs Live feature that turns spoken instructions into drafted text with citations.

Two new models, Gemini 3.5 and a cheaper Gemini 3.5 Flash, arrived the same day. Google says 900 million people now use Gemini, and that more than 50 billion images have been generated with it. The pricing tier names are likely to confuse buyers: a new AI Ultra plan launches at $100 a month, while the older Gemini AI Ultra drops from $250 to $200.

The flashier announcements were Gemini Omni, a video generator pitched as a more realistic answer to OpenAI’s discontinued Sora 2, and Gemini Spark, a personal agent that handles recurring tasks across a user’s Google account. A new universal shopping cart lets agents complete purchases across multiple retailers from inside Google itself, placing the company between the merchant and the buyer, and also owning the checkout.

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Google also confirmed its Android XR eyewear, built with Samsung and frames from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Audio-only glasses ship this autumn; a display-equipped version, which would superimpose live translations into the wearer’s field of view, is still in development. Both sets translate, however only the display version shows you the result.

What Pichai did not resolve is the bargain underneath all this. An agent is only useful to the degree it knows your calendar, your inbox, your shopping history and your physical surroundings. Google has now confirmed that, in time, the same context may carry advertising.