Google Play Store bought a new feature for users in early 2021 that allowed users to share applications directly from their devices with the use of Nearby Share technology. However, this functionality is all set to be discontinued for the users soon.
The ‘Share apps’ option on the Play Store can be found in the ‘Manage apps & device’ section which allows the users to send applications that are installed on their device. Although the previous Nearby Share logo is still visible on the page, this feature operates through Quick Share.
As per the changelog for Play Store version 44.1 which was released recently, the ‘Share Apps’ feature will be phased out. Initially, this capability was prompted by Google as a means to transfer and receive Android applications without the use of any Wi-Fi or cellular data. This peer-to-peer sharing method is specially used to conserve data and it is well-suited for areas that have sluggish internet connections.
Users can also make use of ‘Files’ by Google to share Android apps in the same manner. The users simply need to navigate to the ‘Apps’ category which they will find under ‘Categories.’ Following this they can access the overflow menu to opt for what they wish to share.
As with all updates from Google System Release Notes, it often takes time for features such as this removal to be fully implemented even after the app version is updated on the device.
Even though ‘Share apps’ is now discontinued for users, they still have several alternatives that could be used for sharing applications. ‘Files by Google’ is an app that allows to share applications from the Apps category and then share them using the share menu.
Besides this, there are several third-party apps as well that can offer peer-to-peer file-sharing capabilities, however, when using these apps users should be cautious about security.
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