Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10 family

Re:Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting wi... by varenc on Thursday November 20, 2025 @09:31PM (#46000578)

Bump didn't use direct device-to-device communication. A central server correlated the two bumping phones, based on geolocation and accelerometer data, then swapped the data via the server. At least that's how it worked in the early days. (Wiki page confirms)

Since it's relying on your internet connection, skeptical it'd be faster than AirDrop for a large amount of data like photos. But for swapping contacts I bet it was faster since it didn't have to spend time establishing a new direct connection.

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Re:Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting wi... by ricardobeat on Friday November 21, 2025 @04:04AM (#46002668)

I did not say it used device-to-device communication. It was the best possible experience for the time though, BT was not viable and wifi direct did not exist.

By faster I mean the initial handshake, it was basically instant. With AirDrop you sometimes experience quite a bit of signal hunting.

A comparable experience would be when you touch phones to share a contact, it was in that ballpark.

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