3 ms·

if that was true, why do people keep sending files to themselves via email, whatsapp and telegram?

johncoltrane 4y ago
I think it has been demonstrably true for maybe a good decade and half. As to why some people use alternative methods… maybe because they like it like that? Or maybe because they can't use Bluetooth for some reason? Or maybe they don't know better? Ask them. Select a file, tap on "share", tap on "bluetooth", choose a device, wait a few seconds, done.
- rock3r 4y ago
  Personally, I don't use Bluetooth for these reasons: 1. It's clunky 2. It's slow 3. It's unreliable Anything that has a better UX than Bluetooth file sharing is a win for me.
  - johncoltrane 4y ago
    Well, I use Bluetooth because it has been part of every "device" I've owned in the last 15 years or so. Is it good for moving large files? Nope. Is it good for moving a handful of pics or videos between two devices? Yep. Hell, I'm even listening to my Mac's music on the TV via Bluetooth as I write this.
- izerik 4y ago
  Have you actually tried to send files via bluetooth from Android -> MacOS or Android -> iOS? I can't make it work, the file just doesn't get through.
  - johncoltrane 4y ago
    I do it relatively often, to make room on my Android phone. Did it no later than a couple days ago and the 17 pictures ended up in my Downloads folder as usual.
- Vibgyor5 4y ago
  Literally just tried this and no, it doesn't work at all. Devices are connected but the sending fails (Android -> Mac)
  - johncoltrane 4y ago
    Did you enable Bluetooth sharing on the Mac?
    - Vibgyor5 4y ago
      Yes
- jlokier 4y ago
  I just shared a photo using the sequence you described from Android -> MacOS. Contrary to my sibling commenters, it did just work. A prompt appeared on MacOS asking if I wanted to accept the connection request, then asking if I wanted to accept a filee. I agreed, a download progress bar appeared until it was finished, and when it was done, the file was in the Downloads folder. Wow, it was incredibly slow, though. Transfer rate ~50kB/s, about 500x slower than uploading the file to a cloud server somewhere and downloading it again. 2000x slower than local Wifi. Distance between devices: about 60cm. Time to transfer 1 photo: 10 seconds, after starting the download. The Android UI was unhelpful for finding the Bluetooth option to share to. The Share icon showed 5 share methods (none of them Bluetooth, one of them "Quick Share" to "nearby Galaxy devices", it's even more specific than Android-only), plus 5 contacts-with-methods (none of them useful: SMS and WhatsApp, and I don't even have WhatsApp activated on this phone), plus a different kind of button for "Nearby Share" (something to do with nearby people in your Contacts, which doesn't explain how it does that so I assume some cloud service I'd rather not use). Finding "Bluetooth" involved some hardly discoverable horizontal scrolling with no visual affordance, using a different UI than the share options listed from other apps. But it did work, extremely slowly. It's not obvious, but some of the other share options use Bluetooth to set up the connection then Wifi to transfer the files, perhaps about ~2000x faster. Some supposedly use local Wifi alone, no Bluetooth required. Unfortunately I've never had success with any of them, so I can't confirm if any of them actually work as advertised. A few years ago I spent nearly an hour trying to all the different methods on the phone I had, to send a collection of photos from Android to MacOS without using an internet service, and nothing worked. Each built-in sharing method failed in some way, and standard Bluetooth file transfer was too slow. In the end I gave up and transferred just a few of the photos the slow way. It is striking (and absurd) that cloud services run much faster than local transfer - when both devices have access to a usable internet connection.

I think it has been demonstrably true for maybe a good decade and half. As to why some people use alternative methods… maybe because they like it like that? Or maybe because they can't use Bluetooth for some reason? Or maybe they don't know better? Ask them. Select a file, tap on "share", tap on "bluetooth", choose a device, wait a few seconds, done.

rock3r 4y ago
Personally, I don't use Bluetooth for these reasons: 1. It's clunky 2. It's slow 3. It's unreliable Anything that has a better UX than Bluetooth file sharing is a win for me.
- johncoltrane 4y ago
  Well, I use Bluetooth because it has been part of every "device" I've owned in the last 15 years or so. Is it good for moving large files? Nope. Is it good for moving a handful of pics or videos between two devices? Yep. Hell, I'm even listening to my Mac's music on the TV via Bluetooth as I write this.
izerik 4y ago
Have you actually tried to send files via bluetooth from Android -> MacOS or Android -> iOS? I can't make it work, the file just doesn't get through.
- johncoltrane 4y ago
  I do it relatively often, to make room on my Android phone. Did it no later than a couple days ago and the 17 pictures ended up in my Downloads folder as usual.
Vibgyor5 4y ago
Literally just tried this and no, it doesn't work at all. Devices are connected but the sending fails (Android -> Mac)
- johncoltrane 4y ago
  Did you enable Bluetooth sharing on the Mac?
  - Vibgyor5 4y ago
    Yes
jlokier 4y ago
I just shared a photo using the sequence you described from Android -> MacOS. Contrary to my sibling commenters, it did just work. A prompt appeared on MacOS asking if I wanted to accept the connection request, then asking if I wanted to accept a filee. I agreed, a download progress bar appeared until it was finished, and when it was done, the file was in the Downloads folder. Wow, it was incredibly slow, though. Transfer rate ~50kB/s, about 500x slower than uploading the file to a cloud server somewhere and downloading it again. 2000x slower than local Wifi. Distance between devices: about 60cm. Time to transfer 1 photo: 10 seconds, after starting the download. The Android UI was unhelpful for finding the Bluetooth option to share to. The Share icon showed 5 share methods (none of them Bluetooth, one of them "Quick Share" to "nearby Galaxy devices", it's even more specific than Android-only), plus 5 contacts-with-methods (none of them useful: SMS and WhatsApp, and I don't even have WhatsApp activated on this phone), plus a different kind of button for "Nearby Share" (something to do with nearby people in your Contacts, which doesn't explain how it does that so I assume some cloud service I'd rather not use). Finding "Bluetooth" involved some hardly discoverable horizontal scrolling with no visual affordance, using a different UI than the share options listed from other apps. But it did work, extremely slowly. It's not obvious, but some of the other share options use Bluetooth to set up the connection then Wifi to transfer the files, perhaps about ~2000x faster. Some supposedly use local Wifi alone, no Bluetooth required. Unfortunately I've never had success with any of them, so I can't confirm if any of them actually work as advertised. A few years ago I spent nearly an hour trying to all the different methods on the phone I had, to send a collection of photos from Android to MacOS without using an internet service, and nothing worked. Each built-in sharing method failed in some way, and standard Bluetooth file transfer was too slow. In the end I gave up and transferred just a few of the photos the slow way. It is striking (and absurd) that cloud services run much faster than local transfer - when both devices have access to a usable internet connection.