In practice, Xiaomi MIUI, OPPO’s ColorOS, and Vivo‘s FunTouchOS will be able to seamlessly transfer files without having to install any extra applications. In terms of delivery, the protocol will supposedly use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to transfer files between phones and can provide transfer speeds of up to 20Mb/s.
Xiaomi, OPPO, and Vivo aren’t the first companies to attempt to create a new wireless transfer protocol akin to Apple’s proprietary AirDrop function. Back in 2011, Google launched Android Beam, a file transfer method that depends on NFC. The feature will be removed from Android Q OS and in its place, the operating system will integrate another feature similar to its Fast Share functionality. The file-sharing system will be released later in August for a beta testing phase. The initiative isn’t just limited to just the three brands; Xiaomi mentioned that other manufacturers are welcomed to join the collaboration to provide a better user experience for everyone. (Source: Xiaomi via Wechat, The Verge)
