How to Use Files Go, Google’s New AirDrop-Style File Sharing App
Apple has AirDrop for quick and easy file sharing between iPhone and other Apple devices. Google is now offering a similar feature for Android in a new app called Files Go .
The app, which launched in beta on Thursday, can also help free up space on your smartphone. Here’s what you need to know about Files Go before you start.
How to download Files Go
You can download the new Google app from the Play Store right now if you have a device running Android 5.0 or later versions . The app is free to use, with no ads or in-app purchases, although Google will likely scan whatever data you share to serve better ads elsewhere on the web.
PhoneArena notes that the beta is not very stable, but it has a nice design and seems to perform well despite a few bugs. The only other downside is that Google limits storage inside Files Go to 6MB, at least for now.
How to use Files Go
If you choose to download Files Go, you will find that most of its features are actually focused on saving space on your smartphone. It’s built to find junk files – rarely used apps, duplicate images, and spam – so you can easily delete them. It also offers built-in search to quickly find photos, videos, and documents that you really care about.
If you want to use Files Go to share an image or document with someone else, just go to the Files tab and click the Submit button. You will see a list of people nearby, but in order for the application to work, they will need to install Files Go themselves, then open the application and click Get. This creates a Bluetooth connection (which Google claims is secure) so you can quickly share files.
Using Files Go is a little trickier than Apple’s AirDrop, which doesn’t require you to download any additional apps or open anything on your phone to get the file, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In the past, the open AirDrop system has been used for harassment , so many users likely won’t have a problem with the fact that Google’s version has a few additional barriers.