Android's hidden clipboard-sharing superpower

 Pardon my blatant geekery, but I've had a cross-platform productivity fantasy for years.

You know, unlike others who are subject to strict Apple iSpell regulations, I don't think it's appropriate to restrict myself to a specific platform or category of goods. Yes, I use Android all the time. But throughout the working day, I also use a Windows PC. And at night, I use ChromeOS exclusively. You understand.

When it comes to variety and having the freedom to utilize any devices that suit your needs, regardless of manufacturer or software, that kind of configuration is amazing. However, it can occasionally also bring with it a fair share of embarrassing difficulties.

We're back to my dream now. I've been looking for a quick and easy method to send text that I've copied from my phone to the computer I'm using for business, and vice versa, for years.There was a moment when Chrome silently permitted this kind of smooth clipboard synchronization to occur in all directions, but sadly, Google eliminated that capability before it could emerge from the shadows.

More recently, OnePlus's ingenious little off-the-beaten-path software filled the hole and momentarily made my wish come true in an equally uncomplicated manner. The app was abruptly taken down by OnePlus early this year, though.

I'm glad to say that the dream is still very much alive and well today. It turns out that at some point in the not-too-distant past, Google secretly added a new feature to its cross-platform Nearby Share system that allows you to send copied text from your Android device to the clipboard of a connected computer—and, in certain cases, the other way around—pretty painlessly.

It's not a feature that is heavily advertised, nor would you know it existed until you ventured in and looked about. It's really entirely unmarked and often even undetectable, yet it exists anyway. And if you share my vision for cross-platform productivity, it might be the time-saving secret weapon you've been waiting for.

The Android-to-desktop Nearby Share secret

If you're unfamiliar, Nearby Share is an Android function that allows you to wirelessly share content to other devices that you're also logged in to. Most obviously, it allows you to share files between numerous Android devices, but it also allows you to share files between your Android phone, Chromebook, and even Windows PC.

Furthermore, even though the system's main purpose is to transfer data across devices, it also has an amazing text sharing feature.

Any Windows PC or Chromebook with Nearby Share enabled can use the first step of the process. There is no setup required for the feature since it is already included into ChromeOS. To use Nearby Share on Windows, you must download the official Nearby Share program from Google, run it, and follow the installation and login instructions.

Next:

• Look for the word "Nearby Share" in your system settings on your Android phone.
• After selecting the "Nearby Share" line from the results, make sure the toggle for "Device Visibility" is turned on and active.
• Take 20 seconds to locate and adjust the Nearby Share setting on your PC and Android device.
• On an Android device, you will need to touch the words "Device visibility" within the settings page that we just saw.
• In the upper-right corner of the Nearby Share program on Windows, click the gear-shaped icon, and then choose "Device visibility." 
• Additionally, to access the "Device visibility" setting in the pop-up settings screen on a Chromebook, click the clock located in the lower-right corner of the screen, followed by the "Nearby Share" tile.

 I would advise choosing "Your devices" in each of those locations unless you anticipate undertaking any kind of more extensive sharing with devices that aren't your own. This will limit system access to just devices that are logged into your primary Google account (and as these are all your own devices, no further steps for approval or confirmation will be needed).

It is possible to configure Nearby Share to only accept connections from devices that you own.

You get it? Alright. Let's now explore the cross-platform pie's magical clipboard sharing feature.

Sharing your clipboard from Android to Windows or ChromeOS

The simplest and most widely accessible is the Android to any PC section:

• To share text in any app on your Android phone, just highlight the text and choose "Share" from the menu that appears.
• Locate and choose "Nearby Share" from the subsequent list of sharing targets.
• Next, choose your PC from the list of devices that are nearby to share.

A few quick taps, and boom: Text copied to your clipboard on Android will be available in Windows.

In a moment, your computer should display a notice allowing you to access and paste the text wherever you choose.

That's a useful component. However, the following step in this procedure truly astounded me, as there isn't a single sign elsewhere that it's feasible or available.

Sharing your clipboard from Windows to Android

One more word of caution before we continue: oddly, it appears that this option is now only available on Windows-powered PCs. Given that Chromebooks have native Nearby Share capability, one would assume that it would also be available on them. However, to the best of my knowledge, neither in that context nor anyplace else outside of the Android-Windows universe is there a chance of such kind. With any luck, this will change and the system will grow shortly.

For those of us who use Windows, however, copy some text from anyplace on your Windows PC at this time, then:

• Launch the Windows program for Nearby Share that we just installed.
• To paste the text inside it, use Ctrl-V.
• Your phone should then be included in the list of linked devices that Nearby Share displays.
• To complete the sharing, just click the name of your phone.

Simple clipboard sharing from Windows to Android — who knew?!

And hey, how 'bout that:

Text sent from a Windows computer, available on Android — what a world.

It's a little strange, isn't it, that Google doesn't advertise this or make any mention of it in the applications itself?

However, now that you are aware of it, you may once more bring the ideal of cross-platform productivity to life. Thanks for reading this article, my regards 💞