With Nearby Share, Google streamlined the peer-to-peer file-sharing experience, allowing users to eliminate the need for third-party apps. According to the latest reports, it appears that Google will soon be rebranding Nearby Share to Quick Share.
Developer Kamila Wojciechowska has discovered the latest rebranding with the new Google Play Services update (version 23.50.13). She suggests that Google has updated the new branding throughout the UI, including in the share sheet and the quick settings.
After the update, she received a notification showing “Nearby Share is now Quick Share,” which hints at the rebranding. If Quick Share sounds familiar to you, yes, it’s Samsung’s native file-sharing app. Further, the screenshot also suggests that the UI has also been overhauled, resembling Samsung’s Quick Share.
It remains uncertain whether Google and Samsung are considering merging their two file-sharing services or, at the very least, making them interoperable. This potential change would be welcomed by Samsung users, who won’t have to navigate between two different sharing services.
We can expect an announcement from Samsung and Google regarding the possible merger soon. Samsung might announce the merger in an Unpacked event that will happen in January 2024.