2024 has been a very exciting year for Google, with a host of new launches, all related to its commitment to AI with Gemini. However, these launches have come with several sacrifices, such as services closed forever or apps that have stopped working.
In many cases, sacrifices are functions that were very useful, but little known among users. We have a good example in one of the best functions of Google Maps, which allowed us to directly contact the establishments that we found on the maps. And now, it’s the turn of another very interesting function, but one that will surely In practice it was not used by many people.
We talked about the option to share apps through Google Play. If we enter the Google Play Store, click on our icon and in “Manage apps and device”, we will find an option called “Share applications”. Most people don’t pay attention to it, because they usually enter this screen just to update their apps. But if we look closely, we will see two buttons: “Send” and “Receive”, which say it all.
Indeed, many Android users do not know that they can send apps from their mobile phone to another device, using Quick Share technology. It’s a simple process that directly sends the .apk file to the other device, which can then install the app locally.
It is an ideal function for many situations; For example, to avoid wasting data to download the app on a tablet when we are traveling, or to share our favorite app with a friend.
Google Play file sharing feature
The Free Android
Unfortunately, Google has confirmed that this feature will disappear from now on, although he has not shared the reason. The change comes with the new Play Store update, which now reaches version 44.1and reads: “The application sharing function on Google Play will be removed.”
The Free Android
If you have just discovered this feature and it was just what you wanted, the good news is that there is an alternative and it is offered by Google itself. Actually, the Files appdesigned to manage files on your mobile, can also share applications with other devices in a similar way to what Google Play could do.
To share an app with another device, we have to open Files and enter the “Applications” section on the home screen. A list of the apps that we have installed will appear, and we just have to click on the three dots button, select “Share” and choose Quick Share; then we can select the other device, and Files will send you the .apk file to install as usual.
