What you need to know
- Samsung’s Quick Share app for Windows was previously limited to first-party devices.
- It’s now available on non-Samsung PCs with Intel’s Bluetooth driver version 22.50.02 (or newer) and Wi-Fi driver version 22.50.07 (or newer).
- The app is available to download from Microsoft’s online marketplace for all compatible PCs.
Samsung has finally released a version of its Nearby Share rival that’s compatible with third-party PCs, although there are a few annoying limitations.
The Quick Share app has now made its way to non-Samsung PCs after being previously exclusive to Galaxy Books for quite a while. However, the app’s Microsoft Store listing includes a note that may annoy some users: you need to have compatible Bluetooth and Wi-Fi hardware from Intel (via SamMobile).
This means your Windows PC should be equipped with Intel’s Bluetooth driver version 22.50.02 (or newer) and Intel’s Wi-Fi driver version 22.50.07 (or newer). Otherwise, you’ll be sticking with Google’s Nearby Share for Windows, which is still in beta.
Nearby Share landed on Windows earlier this year to provide users with a seamless method of sharing files between their Android phone and PC. Unlike Quick Share, it does not impose any hardware requirements on users, as long as they have an Android smartphone and a 64-bit Windows computer.
Despite its limitations, Quick Share edges out its rivals in terms of the number of devices it can send files to at a time. Whereas Nearby Share is limited to only one contact at a time, Quick Share can share files with up to five contacts at once.
Nonetheless, Nearby Share remains a viable option, particularly if you aren’t using a Samsung laptop or a compatible third-party PC. If device type isn’t an issue, you can go to Microsoft’s app store and install Quick Share on your computer.