Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

3 to beam up: Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo collaborate on new file transfer feature

Andy Boxall
By

Three of the best known — and best-selling — Chinese smartphone makers are collaborating on a device-to-device file sharing feature similar to Android Beam. Xiaomi has announced the project, through its own MIUI Weibo account, and said it’s working together with both Vivo and Oppo. MIUI is Xiaomi’s Android-based user interface, which in China does not integrate Google services.

The system, which does not seem to have a name at this stage, will provide a high-speed connection between devices, where a variety of different file types can be transferred without using network data. It may end up being similar to Apple’s AirDrop feature, which uses Wi-Fi to send files after a connection has been established, while Android Beam uses NFC and Bluetooth. Xiaomi also says it welcomes other manufactures to join the partnership, with a view to creating a “more efficient” mobile experience for everyone.

Recommended Videos

Android Beam will be familiar to most people who have owned an Android phone recently, but the feature is on its way to Google’s feature-laden graveyard, as it will not be part of the upcoming Android Q update. Instead, Google is expected to introduce a new feature called Fast Share, which like AirDrop, uses Bluetooth and then Wi-Fi to connect to another device and send files quickly.

Related

Future partnerships

Why can’t Xiaomi and others in China use Fast Share when it arrives? It appears to be tied to Google Play Services, and therefore unable to operate on phones that don’t have access to the Play Store or Google’s suite of apps. While international versions of Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo phones do use Google services, the models sold in China do not.

It may not only be on phones made by these three that the new file-sharing feature appears. Xiaomi owns or invests in a variety of other manufacturers and brand names, including Redmi, Meitu, Poco, and Black Shark, so it may end up on future phones from these companies too. Oppo and Vivo are part of the BBK family, along with OnePlus and Realme, making an appearance on these possible too.

How about other companies? Apart from the names above, Meizu may not be having the best year, but it still sells phones in China and is a possible partner in the future. Huawei would be the prize, given its size, sales, and influence; but Huawei already has its own file transfer services — Huawei Share works between Huawei phones, and OneHop works between Huawei phones and laptops. Whether it sees value in joining the open project remains to be seen.

There is no indication of when Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo’s file-sharing feature will be available.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andy Boxall
Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Oppo, Realme, Vivo, and OnePlus are in the midst of an identity crisis
Realme, Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus phone logos.

This is a call to action, a plea almost, for four smartphone companies not to lose their individuality. Oppo, Realme, Vivo, and OnePlus are all in danger of doing so, as each brand increasingly overlaps and the relationship blurs to the point where, at times, I can’t tell the difference between them.

This brand assimilation hasn’t reached the point where they are indistinguishable from each other yet, but the creep has become a lot more noticeable over the last year. This is my request to each — don’t forget who you are.
Family matters
Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, and Vivo (plus another still-new brand, Iqoo) are, as part of the Chinese BBK Electronics empire, all members of the same family. BBK Electronics and this relationship isn’t really widely known, because each brand will always shout about its independence, has different management teams, and targets different segments. And you will never find BBK Electronics mentioned at any launch event. But as research proves, all roads eventually lead back to BBK Electronics.

Read more
Vivo’s X50 Pro has a gimbal for super-steady video, and it really works
vivo x50 pro hands on review

Vivo is always worth paying attention to because of its willingness to showcase innovation, and the new X50 Pro is no exception. The in-display fingerprint sensor, the pop-up selfie camera, and the borderless  waterfall screen are all cutting-edge pieces of phone tech that we’ve experienced on Vivo devices first.

So what has the X50 Pro brought us? The camera uses a gimbal for super-steady photos and video, something it showed off at the beginning of the year in its Apex 2020 concept phone.

Read more
Vivo shakes things up with new gimbal-equipped X50 Pro camera phone
vivo x50 pro news gimball

Smartphone innovator Vivo has announced the X50 Pro, a camera-centric device with a shake-eliminating gimbal in the camera that's ready to take super steady photos and video regardless of the conditions, day or night. While we are used to seeing optical image stabilization, digital stabilization, and even artificial intelligence (A.I.) used to minimize blur and shake, this is the first time a gimbal system has been used inside a smartphone.

 

Read more