For some Android users, sharing the internet on WiFi-only devices will become much easier. The new Internet Sharing feature is currently rolling out in beta and acts as an instant-access hotspot on any Android device, up to and including a Chromebook, without the need for a password. If your main phone is Samsung Galaxy devicesIf so, unfortunately, you’re out of luck.
On your Android mobile device, you will be able to go to Settings, Google, Devices & Share, and toggle the option for cross-device services. 9to5GoogleAccording to Google, which first spotted the update, this should walk you through the process of setting up device groups across a range of Android phones, tablets, and even Chromebooks. The feature is still rolling out and is currently included in the latest beta update of Google Play services. According to the feature description, users will be able to take advantage of these features “as soon as they’re released.” Support page.
Google is rolling out some of these features for the first time. I/O Development Conference in MayInternet sharing is clearly the more convenient of the two. Smartphones and tablets in your device group can instantly connect to 5G when you’re on the go. Plus, the sharing feature makes it easier to move calls between Android devices. For example, you can easily cast a Meet call to a tablet by simply pressing the new in-app cast icon. Currently, video sharing is limited to Google Meet and Gmail.
But there are some big issues that render the new update useless. The big one is that if you’re using a Samsung phone, there’s no option to use the new Instant Hotspot feature. On its support page, Google is advising Galaxy users to try Galaxy’s Auto Hotspot feature instead.
Samsung’s Auto Hotspot automatically connects to devices that share your Samsung account or are already part of your Samsung account’s family group. I personally don’t use any non-Galaxy devices with my Samsung account, so it’s not as immediately useful as Google’s Internet Sharing. If you happen to be a Samsung die-hard fan, you probably won’t care. If not, Galaxy users are missing out.
We knew this limit Since its launch, Galaxy users have been able to connect to their Windows 11 PCs using the instant hotspot feature in the Phone Link app, which is already a useful feature, but this limitation is just one more in a growing trend from Samsung. Apple-like walled garden Sensitivity.
The Galaxy is the most popular Android device in the U.S. and millions of people will lose access to it, even though Samsung users already enjoy a number of apps from Google. Features like Circle to Search and GeminiThis co-exists with the AI features Samsung is known for, so why not spread the love to the Instant Hotspot too?
