One UI 8.5

Samsung might revive NFC file sharing with Quick Share in One UI 8.5!

Mobile

One UI 8 is already rolling out to Galaxy phones, but leaks from a One UI 8.5 build are giving us a peek at what Samsung might be cooking up next. I've been following these leaks closely, and some interesting features have surfaced, like Photosensitive Epilepsy protection and Automatic Call Screening.

Now, it seems Samsung could be bringing back file sharing via NFC with Quick Share. I remember using Android Beam years ago, and this feels like a similar concept. You tap your phones together, and voila, files start transferring.

According to translated code strings, this NFC-based file sharing might be an experimental feature. Think of it as an optional setting you can turn on. While Android Beam used Bluetooth after the initial NFC handshake, it's likely Quick Share will lean on Wi-Fi Direct for faster speeds. This is where I think it gets interesting.

The code also hints at animation options during the transfer. What does this mean? Well, it's possible Samsung is working on something akin to Apple's NameDrop, aiming to simplify the Quick Share experience. Imagine just tapping phones and seeing a cool animation as your files transfer.

To be fair, Quick Share is already pretty useful as it is. Bringing back NFC might seem like a step back in time. However, the fact that it's labeled as "experimental" makes me think Samsung has something more ambitious in mind. I mean, NFC-based sharing already exists in Google's Quick Share (previously Nearby Share), but it's not widely used.

So, is Samsung just catching up, or are they planning to surpass Google with a more intuitive, visually appealing experience? I'm betting on the latter. We'll have to wait and see what One UI 8.5 officially brings, but this leak has definitely piqued my interest.

Source: AndroidAuthority