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summary
- Google is developing cross-device services that allow you to seamlessly share data such as Wi-Fi passwords and video calls between Android devices.
- Users will be able to form device groups, control which features are shared, and remove individual devices from the group.
- The cross-device services interface is already available in a developer flag, suggesting that Google may announce this feature soon, perhaps in an upcoming March feature drop.
Google is slowly building its own Apple-like ecosystem by tightly integrating Android smartphones and Chromebooks to share internet access, notifications, and even messaging apps through screen streaming. Anyone who has more than one Android device, such as a phone or tablet, is excluded from this integration, at least for now. This appears to be about to change with an update to Google’s cross-device services.
As the name suggests, Android’s cross-device services allow you to seamlessly move certain data between different devices. This system is already used in Chromebooks, but here’s what we discovered: Android Expert @AssembleDebug on X, it may also allow tighter integration with Android devices in the near future. Modders were able to activate some hidden flags to enable a new setup screen and some settings for cross-device services and explain how they work.
As you can see from the setup flow, cross-device services allow you to “easily discover and share with other devices signed in to your Google Account.” When you link two or more devices to form a group, you can seamlessly share Wi-Fi passwords and hotspots between them, and you can also move video calls between them. Google also teases that more features will be added to the setup card soon.
To avoid unintentional or malicious device linking, you must manually check each device to join the device group. By default, all Android devices that have recently signed in will receive an invitation to the group, but you can uncheck any devices you don’t want added during the process. Once you’ve set up your group, you can use toggles to control the ability to share. You can also remove individual devices from the group if you want to exclude them completely.
Cross-device service interfaces are available out-of-the-box with the appropriate developer flags enabled, but the feature has not yet been announced or seen deployed in the wild. Given that AssembleDebug’s functionality appears to be working and the interface appears to be nearly complete, I wouldn’t be surprised if Google announces a cross-device service soon. Especially since the company has reportedly been working on this for four months. Google may be holding off on cross-device services for March’s Feature Drop, which will see all the features the company has been testing in Android 14 QPR2 officially rolled out next month.
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