Xiaomi,Oppo and Vivo are reportedly working together on a new wireless file transfer protocol that will work between their respective devices. Xiaomi’s MIUI, Oppo’s ColorOS, and Vivo’s FuntouchOS all based on Android will integrate the peer-to-peer system, according to a WeChat post by Xiaomi’s official MIUI account.
The new protocol will use Bluetooth to pair devices and will provide transfer speeds of up to 20MB/s, which indicates that it uses Wi-Fi on the backend, like Apple’s proprietary AirDrop system.
Xiaomi’s post says other smartphone manufacturers can apply to join the presently allied trio. A beta version of the service should be released by the end of this month.
According to the recent data from Counterpoint Research all the three companies account for around half of the Chinese smartphone market — 49 percent last quarter which means they have a huge addressable user base running non-Google versions of Android.
Google has also tried to launch AirDrop-style services for Android in the past, with varying success. The company’s newer Files by Googleapp offers file transfer with Bluetooth pairing, while Android Q itself will integrate similar Fast Share functionality into the share sheet.
