Wi-Fi password sharing is coming to Android and Chromebooks

One of the reasons people use Apple devices is because they work so well together. You can easily transfer web browsing from your iPhone to your MacAirDrop photos to friends or share wifi passwords between devices. from google Share Nearby aims to replicate this transparency on the Android side, rental you share files, photos and applications with other devices via Bluetooth. And soon, sharing nearby let you send wifi credentials from your Android phone to your Chromebook.

History of Chromium found evidence in recent Chrome deposit that Google is working on wifi network sharing between different devices. According to 9to5Googlethe feature is likely to start behind a Chrome flag, essentially a hidden menu that you can access by typing chrome://flags in Chrome Browser on Chrome OS. The feature is called “Nearby Sharing Receive WiFi Credentials”.

Once enabled, you can digitally push the name of the wifi network and its security type, whether it’s WPA2 or WPA3, to the nearby share. The Chromebook receiving the credentials will go online almost immediately upon receipt, making it easier and faster to access a Wi-Fi network at a friend’s house, for example.

It’s unclear if the Wi-Fi credential sharing feature will work in reverse so that Android devices can receive login credentials from Chromebooks. But WWe know that Google is working on greater wireless integration between Chrome OS and Android devices. Earlier this year, Google announcement you can set up a brand new Chromebook with an Android phone, starting with Acer and HP laptops very soon.

Nearby Sharing also extends to the Windows operating system, which already uses its version of the Wireless Sharing Specification that relies on similar protocols. FairPair will facilitate capability, and you’ll be able to pair Bluetooth accessories and sync text messages, enabling greater operability between you, your Android smartphone, and whatever computer you have on hand.

We don’t know when we’ll see this feature appear. Given the timeline, we could see Wi-Fi credentials on Nearby Sharing appear as early as March, when Chromium 100 is of.