Wi-Fi Direct support was introduced in Android way back in 2011 with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but to this day, Google hasn't added a direct (pun intended) option for sending content using the protocol on stock Android, leaving it to third-party apps to make up for the OS' shortcoming. Wi-Fi Direct is a technology that allows devices to connect to each other directly without the need for a common access point – it's like Bluetooth, but is a hundred times faster and can reach speeds of up to 150 Mbps and more.
Samsung was the first to make Wi-Fi Direct work properly out of the box and has offered the option of transferring data between two Samsung phones or tablets via Android's sharing menu without the need for installing third-party apps, something that isn't possible on devices from major competitors. The company's implementation doesn't work with non-Samsung devices, but if you're moving data between two devices from the Korean manufacturer, Wi-Fi Direct is an extremely fast and convenient way of doing so.
The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are Samsung's latest flagship devices, and the lack of a microSD slot on the two makes Wi-Fi Direct an even more useful feature. How exactly do you use Wi-Fi Direct to connect and transfer media and other data between two phones? Read on to find out.
The type of content you can send and receive includes basically everything that you can select and share via the Android share menu, such as media files (photos, videos and music) from the gallery, files from the My Files app, and even links from apps like the browser, Play Store, and more.
Here's how the transfer procedure works:
- On your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge, open the app from where you want to send files/content to another device.
- Select whatever content you want to send, then press the Share button in whatever app you're in (the share button is an icon with three dots, with two dots connected to one in between by two lines.)
- In the options presented, select Wi-Fi Direct.
- Now, on the device you're transferring content to, go into Wi-Fi settings from the settings menu. Now, depending on your device, you will either see the Wi-Fi Direct option right in the Wi-Fi settings on the top right, or it will be available from the three-dot menu, which should also be on the top right.
- Select the Wi-Fi Direct on this device to go into the Wi-Fi Direct menu, then go back to your Galaxy S6 or S6 edge.
- Now, you should see the name of your other device on your S6 or S6 edge. Tap on the device name, then tap the CONNECT button when you get the relevant popup on the other device.
- This will start the transfer process. Depending on your devices, the transfer speeds can vary anywhere between 50 to 150 Mbps and possibly more, meaning all but the largest of files should be moved between your devices extremely quickly.
Go ahead and try it out on your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge or any other Samsung device from the last year or so!
