Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi introduce Apple AirDrop-like file transfer system

Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi have announced a partnership that will enable a fast and seamless way to share files wirelessly between devices. Through a newly formed “Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance”, they have introduced a new wireless transfer file system works quite similar to Apple’s AirDrop.

Previously, it is common to use Bluetooth to transfer photos, videos and documents between mobile devices. As file sizes become bigger, there’s a greater need for a better solution and it has to be seamless without the need for 3rd party applications.

For a more seamless experience, the new wireless file transfer system doesn’t require an internet connection. All you’ll need is Bluetooth for the initial pairing and WiFi P2P which provides an instant, stable and high-speed connection between devices while maintaining low power consumption.

According to the official announcement, users can expect an average transfer speed of 20MB/s and the file transfer will not interrupt your existing WiFi connection. This means you can stay connected to WiFi while the file transfer is in progress. Just ensure both WiFi and Bluetooth are switched on and then switch on the feature under the menu settings. If the receiver has the feature enabled, the device will receive a pop-up notification when another device is attempting to send a file through the wireless transfer feature.

The Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance aims to drive the next generation of mobile experiences and they are inviting other smartphone makers to participate and to expand the ecosystem. For Vivo, they will be introducing the feature on their new smartphones from February 2020.

This wireless file transfer which works across different smartphone brands is long overdue for the Android platform. There are existing solutions that use WiFi direct but it isn’t as universal and seamless as Apple’s AirDrop. On the latest iPhone 11, Apple has up the ante with Ultra-Wideband technology which adds directional accuracy for the AirDrop feature.

At the moment, this new feature is limited to just three smartphone makers and we hope other players such as Samsung and Huawei will jump on the bandwagon.