Skip to content
Step by Step Internet 馃寪 Guides for learning to surf the Net

Android Beam What is it, what is it for and how does this app work?

The uses of radio frequency and wireless connections have greatly evolved since their arrival and they have generated many benefits in terms of data transfer, either with the Internet or simply local transfers.

These technologies have served to very well replace the transfer by wiring, Even so, there are some that have not been fully disclosed.

So today we are going to talk about Android Beam, a technology a bit discontinued but still operational on many mobile devices. It is very effective when sending information from one mobile to another without having the Internet.

What is the Android Beam application and what is it for on my smartphone?

If you are in the group of people who still have a mobile phone with Android Beam, then you should know that it is a unique feature that allows the transfer of information easily and quickly.

Its operation is given thanks to the NFC technology and thanks to it, users who have this feature can transfer between their mobiles:

  • Web addresses.
  • Contacts information.
  • Navigation markers.
  • Physical addresses.
  • YouTube video links.

All this simply by bringing the phones closer to a short distance and without any prior pairing as in other technologies, just do a little touch of the screen to launch the information to the other mobile.

It is important to note that other types of files that are not merely informative cannot be transferred. Well this technology does not support large amounts of storage, that is to say, cannot be transferred with Android Beam:

  • Photographs.
  • Videos.
  • Documents.

NFC technology What are the advantages of using this technology?

Near Field Communication, or NFC, It is one of the many technologies that radio frequency has left us. It is a wireless technology that allows the transfer of information between any of the devices that have a chip of this type inside.

In addition to small data transfer, also is implemented to make payments, Which has been praised as one of the safest forms in physical establishments.

NFC is great technology and has great advantages:

  • Speed: This technology works instantly when it comes to transferring data in small proportions. Also the way to connect is very fast, since it is only necessary to bring the two devices closer.
  • Security: When used to pay, this technology manages very secure protocols by generating unique codes for each transaction, making it impossible for it to be violated.
  • Low energy consumption: its operation is instantaneous and does not consume large amounts of energy like other radio frequency technologies, for example, WiFi or Bluetooth.

Even so, NFC has two observations, one of them is that in order to connect the devices must be at less than 20 centimeters and that the transfer amounts should be small.

NFC vs Bluetooth What is the best technology to connect and send data?

Bluetooth is another of the great applications of radio frequency And it allows its users to transfer large amounts of data, or at least much more than NFC.

It is important that in order to correctly compare Bluetooth with NFC, we understand that, although both are derived from radio frequency, each one has its specific application, And when it comes to data transfer, you have to be clear about what type of data it is.

Let's see then what are the characteristics in which these two technologies differ:

Functioning

Although they are both wireless implementations, they both operate on different frequencies. While Bluetooth works with 2.4 GHz, which is very common, NFC works with 13.56 GHz.

Speed

Despite the fact that the frequency of the NFC is higher than that of Bluetooth, it is not faster, since it only reaches 424 Kilobits per second. Which is fine as we said for informational data transfers like payment codes, contacts and addresses.

On the other hand, Bluetooth can reach in its best conditions up to 20 megabytes per second, which is enough to transfer images, videos and documents.

Scope

At this point, we should already be clear that bluetooth has much more range, because of this it is known that it is even used to listen to music at a distance with wireless speakers or headphones. While with NFC devices should be practically on top of each other. But, if we analyze it well, it can be a real advantage when it comes to making payments for the security issue.

Energy consumption

As already said, the NFC consumes much less, since it generates practically no battery drain when used. While the expense generated by Bluetooth can easily download a mobile if it is used in a long time.

To reach a healthy conclusion, both technologies are very good in their specialty, but When it comes to data transfer, Bluetooth wins for obvious reasons.

Steps to send information through Android Beam fast and easy

Let's get to know quickly the complete process to send files with this efficient wireless network:

Review NFC settings

To verify that the phone has the ability to make this type of transfer, we must access the "Settings".

  • Next, we must access the "Advanced configuration" of the "Wireless and networks". In this case it is done by pressing the button "Plus …", but this may vary slightly according to your device.

  • In the next window we must check that the NFC configuration is active otherwise activate it.
  • successively press where it says Android beam.

Android Beam

  • Finally, here you have to activate this function in case it is deactivated.

Activate Android Beam

Zoom devices

Once the connection is activated, it will only be necessary locate the file or information which is going to be transferred and move the mobile device closer to another. These must be placed in parallel, but with the backs facing.

back mobile

Transfer the information

When the two back mobiles meet, the screen of the mobile that has the information will become small and floating, so the user must make a little finger touch so that the information jumps from your mobile to the other.

Touch to send

What do I do if I don't use Android Beam? How to deactivate the application

If we are not using Android Beam then it is recommended to keep it off, since although this does not generate energy costs, it is always better to take care of the battery of the mobile.

To turn it off it is necessary to travel the route that we already showed in the previous point, first we access the Device "Settings" and then we go into "Advanced settings" of the connections. From there we can make sure to disable both NFC technology, like the Beam.

Android Beam