Top 12 Ways to Fix Nearby Sharing Not Working on Android

Top 12 Ways to Fix Nearby Sharing Not Working on Android

With nearby sharing, Android finally has a powerful file sharing feature of its own. Without relying on third-party tools or even Google’s Files app, now you can transfer data like photos, videos, music, links, contacts, etc., between Android phones. However, the nearby share feature does not work for some Android users. If you are one of them, here are the best ways to fix the problem of nearby sharing not working on Android.


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The solutions range from simple grouping of devices to checking certain parameters. We suggest that you read our guide on using proximity sharing on Android before proceeding. This will give you an idea of ​​what to expect.

Let’s start by fixing the nearby sharing not working on Android.

1. Restart the phone

The first solution that you should try is to restart your phone. The reboot has done wonders for many people. It might also help you.

2. Activate airplane mode

The next thing to do is turn on airplane mode on your Android phone. Turning on airplane mode disables all network connections on your phone. So if the problem is network related, turning on airplane mode should fix it. Once enabled, wait a minute and then disable it.

To turn on airplane mode, open the quick settings panel on your Android phone (the one with the shortcuts to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) and tap Airplane mode. To turn it off, tap it again. You can also go to Settings> Network & Internet. Activate the toggle next to Airplane mode.


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3. Check the supported devices

Nearby sharing only works if both Android devices are running Android 6.0 Marshmallow and above. To check your version of Android, go to Settings> About. Check the number under the Android version. It must be equal to or greater than 6.


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4. Move devices closer

While nearby sharing doesn’t require the phones to touch each other, they should stay close. Google recommends keeping them within 1 foot (30cm or 12 inches) of each other.

5. Unlock the device

Your device will not be visible and you will not be able to use nearby sharing if the screen is locked on your Android. Unlock the screen of nearby devices to detect your phone.

6. Activate nearby sharing

To use nearby sharing, you need to turn it on on your phone. There are several ways to do this. You can enable it from the quick settings panel or the settings panel.


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In settings, go to Connected devices> Connection preferences. Tap Share Nearby and turn on the toggle on the next screen.


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You can also go to Settings> Google> Device connections> Nearby sharing. Activate the toggle on the next screen.

7. Add an email address

Nearby sharing requires an email address or phone number to work properly. Go to nearby sharing settings, as shown above, and add an email address. If an email address is already active and it’s not the one you want to use, tap the email address to switch between accounts. You can also try removing the Google account from your phone. Find out how to remove Google account from Android phones and what happens when removing Google account.

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8. Activate Bluetooth and location services

Usually, when you turn on nearby sharing, you will be asked to turn on Bluetooth and location on your phone. If you’ve turned them off or they don’t light up, you can turn them both on manually from the Quick Settings panel. Press the Bluetooth and Location buttons to activate them.


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9. Check the visibility of the device

Nearby sharing offers three privacy settings: All contacts, Selected contacts, and None. Switch to the All Contacts setting to make sure that the privacy setting does not interfere with the normal operation of Nearby Sharing. To change the visibility settings, go to the Nearby Sharing setting using any of the methods mentioned in the Enable Nearby Sharing section.


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Nearby Android sharing is not working 9

10. Check other phones

Two phones can only connect at a time to share data via nearby sharing. If one of the phones is sharing content with another phone, wait until the sender and recipient phones are free and ready to be shared.

11. Clear the Play Services cache

You should also try to clear the cache and data of the Google Play Services app. Clearing the cache will not delete any files from your phone. Refer to our explainer on what happens when you erase data on Android phones.

To clear the Play Services cache, go to Settings> Apps. Under all apps, find Google Play services. Tap on it. Tap Storage and then Clear Cache. Restart the phone. If the problem persists, tap Clear data or Clear storage depending on the option available.

Pro tip: Also try to clear the cache and data of the Google app.


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Nearby Android Sharing Not Working 11

Try other things

We hope that one of the solutions above should have fixed the nearby sharing feature not working on your Android phone. If the problem persists, reset the network settings. Know what’s going on and how to reset network settings.

Then:

Did you know that you can use an FTP server to transfer files between devices? Find out how to configure and use the FTP server on Android from the following link.

Last updated Sep 23, 2020

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