Not once through the entire process of enabling the feature on your phone, selecting the files you wish to transfer, and turning discovery on for your Windows PC do any of the steps highlight the fact that you first need to install the Nearby Share companion app on your computer or laptop. Doing so, fortunately, is quite simple.
- Download the Better Together companion app for Windows through Android’s official product page.
- Launch the executable file and follow the on-screen instructions. An installer similar to that of Chrome should pop up.
- To access the Nearby Share app, look for its tray icon on your Windows taskbar by clicking the “Show hidden icons” arrow.
- Sign in using the same Google account that you’re using on your Android device.
- Here, you can change the name of your PC and select who can send files to your computer — anyone, your contacts, or just you.
- Click “Done,” and your PC is ready to send and receive files using Nearby Share.
You can toggle your phone’s visibility by navigating to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Nearby Share and switching the “Device visibility” option on. Note that depending on your Android phone and version, this option could be buried under options with slightly different labels. Alternatively, you can download the Files by Google app to make transfers quicker.
