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We’ve covered Nearby Share quite a bit since its inception, and even though there was some confusion surrounding how and why Google would add the ability to send things to your own devices when you could already share things directly with your phone or Chromebook if it was, well, ‘nearby’, more features continue to be added.
Discovered by Dinsan over at Chrome Story, Wi-Fi credential sharing could be on the horizon too. A code change request that he took note of indicates that this is the case, and it should allow you to send and receive both the network name and password for your wireless network.
Nearby Sharing Receive WiFi Credentials: Enables receiving WiFi networks using Nearby Share.
Chromium Repository
Google is hell-bent on making Nearby Share the glue that pulls much of its device ecosystem together in the same way that Apple has already accomplished in years past. Mac and iOS users have long since enjoyed cross-device data sharing without the need for lengthy processes, and now, Google is right on the verge of accomplishing the same thing.
At this time, we aren’t sure when Wi-Fi credential sharing via Nearby Share will come to fruition, but it’s certainly in the works. I’d be curious to poll everyone reading this what you think Nearby Share is missing and what you hope is added after this feature is baked in. Leave me a comment and we can discuss!
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