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Google Copresence reportedly is an upcoming short-range file transfer service

It seems Google is gearing up for the release of a new communication service dubbed “Copresence” that will reportedly make it easy to share files, pictures and other data with those nearby.
By
October 31, 2014
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It seems Google is gearing up for the release of a new communication service dubbed “Copresence” that will reportedly make it easy to share files, pictures and other data with those nearby. This might sound a lot like Android Beam to you at first glance, but the biggest differences are that this system is allegedly cross-platform, completely contactless and works over a combination of Bluetooth (for authentication) and Wi-Fi (for data transfers).

While Google has yet to officially confirm the existence of the “opt-in” Copresence service, they were recently granted a patent for just such a feature and trace details about the service have even been dug up inside of the latest Google Play Services APK. This not only includes a number of files but even the images seen above and below. Furthermore, the Copresence API has been spotted in the Chrome Dev Channel.

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From the sounds of it, Copresence is aimed at users looking for a way to send large amounts of data to one another quickly, without having to rely on the cloud to do it. In a world where security issues and Cloud leaks have become increasingly commonplace, such a feature could certainly be a welcome addition to Android and other platforms.

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There’s no word on exactly when Copresence will launch, though perhaps Google will announce the existence of the service around the same time as Android 5.0 Lollipop’s rollout? Just a thought. What do you think, based on what we know, like the idea of Copresence? See it as useful, or are you perfectly content to use a combination of Android Beam and Google Drive for transferring files to friends and family?