Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi unite to bring AirDrop-like sharing to Android

Good news, AirDrop for Android exists. Bad News, it's not for everyone.

What you need to know

• Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have teamed up to create the "Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance"
• With this alliance, the three have built an AirDrop for Android that works for users of their phones.
• It will roll out starting in February.

AirDrop for Android is here, kinda, sorta. Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo have announced their own peer-to-peer sharing feature for Android with the creation of the "Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance". While the alliance was revealed last year by Xiaomi on a WeChat post, this marks the first time we're getting a launch date.

The alliance will let users of devices made by those three brands quickly share files with each other's phones. It'll make use of Bluetooth for fast pairing, and Wi-Fi direct for the actual file sharing process. Users will see speeds of up to 20MB/s and the service won't require an external app but will be built into the share sheet. The feature will roll out this February, with Vivo noting that it's intended to coincide with the proliferation of 5G.

While Android OEMs like Samsung have had their own discrete implementations (think Samsung's S Beam and Xiaomi's MiDrop), this is the first example of a cross-brand alliance in the space, and one that is sorely needed (along with a branding expert.) As of now, it's just these three firms with the option for other brands to join in.

Let's face it, Android needs a good, ubiquitous, quick share feature like this one. While Google has been working on a Fast Share feature, it has yet to officially debut and no timelines have been given by the firm. With this move, at the very least, users of some of the largest brands in Asia have options. Let's hope this inspires Google to bring it to the rest of us.

Fast Share, Google's AirDrop alternative, leaks with new features and UI