Does Beam on a Nexus 7 EVER work?

[dartutox]

My wife and I both have a Nexus 7, and though they are configured to beam they never have.
Everything for beaming is switched on/configured.
I have something on my screen, could be a Firefox page, a picture, a document, a database... Whatever.
Both N7 devices have the same apps installed BTW.
Bring the devices back to back in the required manner, they make a noise and a message appears on screen "Touch to beam" I touch and the touched machine bleeps, the messages go away, but as usual nothing at all is ever transferred.
Doesn't matter which machine is used to beam it never does.

So back to my title...
Does Beam on a Nexus 7 Ever work?

Dx

 

[joebob2000]

My wife and I both have a Nexus 7, and though they are configured to beam they never have.
Everything for beaming is switched on/configured.
I have something on my screen, could be a Firefox page, a picture, a document, a database... Whatever.
Both N7 devices have the same apps installed BTW.
Bring the devices back to back in the required manner, they make a noise and a message appears on screen "Touch to beam" I touch and the touched machine bleeps, the messages go away, but as usual nothing at all is ever transferred.
Doesn't matter which machine is used to beam it never does.

So back to my title...
Does Beam on a Nexus 7 Ever work?

Dx

Beam and Wi-Fi Direct are "built in" but it's an unfinished protocol. The only success I have had is with external apps to assist the process (like the actual app named wifi direct you can get from Google Play). Just use Email, SMS, or one of the other zillion working methods of communication, instead of trying to ride on google's reinvented wheel. Like you I have wasted a fair bit of time trying to make it work but it just isn't there.

 

[romiust]

You might be doing it wrong, if both of you tap to send it seems to confuse the beaming, also make sure you aren't tapping the prompt but tapping lower on the screen that fixed my issues.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Jaysus]

I just sent this page from my Nexus 4 to my Nexus 7 via NFC.

 

[efyoiphone]

Try Super Beam in the play store. Super app

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[zkSharks]

I use it a lot between Nexus devices. I've never really had issues with it. Be aware that the NFC antenna is toward the top of the device on the back, so tap phones near the top versus the middle of the Nexus 7's back.

 

[dartutox]

You might be doing it wrong, if both of you tap to send it seems to confuse the beaming, also make sure you aren't tapping the prompt but tapping lower on the screen that fixed my issues.

Posted via Android Central App

Really...
Obviously I'm only tapping on ONE device, the send device BTW. (Though tried other way as well).
Obviously tapping in an appropriate place because the machine makes a hum beep noise and then the Tap prompt vanishes.

I'm looking for some new ideas folks, not stuff I've been through what seems like a zillion times.

Devices back to back in total alignment.
Or...
B to b but turned 90 degrees, or b to b with one upside down... You name it I've tried it. ;-) Always with the "X" of the Nexus logo aligned.

Tried it with a whole load of apps, even a plain text editor, which was as close to getting it working I've been... In that Beaming from device A to B does activate the text editor on B but no content gets transferred.
Tried that from B to A same result.
Really disappointed with this...
Yes I know there are other ways to get stuff from one device to the other, and that's what we are doing, but not really the point.

Thanks for the input.
Dx

 

[mr_nobody]

I'm looking for some new ideas folks, not stuff I've been through what seems like a zillion times.

And we know what you've been through a zillion times because...

 

[Diknak]

The app has to handle the beam, so it isn't going to automatically work with anything.

I have beamed photos and videos just fine because those are handled by the gallery app. So if you are trying to do it in Firefox and it isn't working, then the Firefox isn't handling it. Try to do it with a photo and see if it works. Use the default gallery app.

 

[Diknak]

Also, check to make sure bluetooth works. It doesn't need to be enabled, but if there is a problem with Blueooth, beam isn't going to work since beam is using a bluetooth connection. I have had problems with both my N4 and my N7 where the bluetooth just stops working and I have to turn off the device and turn it back on. I can easily tell when I am having this issue because when I try to turn on bluetooth, the icon appears for a split second and then goes away; it tries to turn on but fails.

 

[oldAGE]

I have had an opened ticket with Google for now going on two months. I believe it's a lost cause. And the post saying that Google reinvented something is like saying that "...all SMTP is is the reinvention of the USPS..." A bit over the top example but the point is, by using direct ad-hoc connections -- be it 802.11 or Bluetooth -- the data stream is removed from The Internet at large which frees up resources on facilities, switches, routers, servers, etc... The more we can get off of "mailing attachments" the better off we all are.

So why does this not work well between a Nexus 7 and a Samsung G S3, or Nexus 4 and 7??? It's a failure at the highest order of OS coding laziness in my book. It should be ubiquitous at least at the major rev level. NFC should work on any Android OS and hardware that supports 4.X. It's that simple. When Samsung adds "S" beam to the mix, it just makes it that much more horrendous.

To the OP... I wish you well getting down to the root of this. I suspect you won't.
AGE

 

[Diknak]

I have had an opened ticket with Google for now going on two months. I believe it's a lost cause. And the post saying that Google reinvented something is like saying that "...all SMTP is is the reinvention of the USPS..." A bit over the top example but the point is, by using direct ad-hoc connections -- be it 802.11 or Bluetooth -- the data stream is removed from The Internet at large which frees up resources on facilities, switches, routers, servers, etc... The more we can get off of "mailing attachments" the better off we all are.

So why does this not work well between a Nexus 7 and a Samsung G S3, or Nexus 4 and 7??? It's a failure at the highest order of OS coding laziness in my book. It should be ubiquitous at least at the major rev level. NFC should work on any Android OS and hardware that supports 4.X. It's that simple. When Samsung adds "S" beam to the mix, it just makes it that much more horrendous.

To the OP... I wish you well getting down to the root of this. I suspect you won't.
AGE

I have beamed:
my Nexus 7 to my Nexus 4
My Nexus 7 to my wife's nexus 4
My Nexus 4 to my wife's Nexus 4
My Nexus 4 to my mother in law's Galaxy S2

Problems: 0

It is all about the app. If you are trying to beam something in an app (like Facebook) that app's developer is responsible for determining how to handle the beam, not the Android OS. I have beamed videos, pictures, and contacts without any problems.

 

[anon(847090)]

The app has to handle the beam, so it isn't going to automatically work with anything.

I have beamed photos and videos just fine because those are handled by the gallery app. So if you are trying to do it in Firefox and it isn't working, then the Firefox isn't handling it. Try to do it with a photo and see if it works. Use the default gallery app.

This!!!
this is exactly how Android beam works and no one seem to care or understand why its implemented this way.

lets say you are in a game and you try to beam it? what data should it transfer to other device? high score? your level progress? how would Android know what the high score is?
so the developer of the app should tell that to the beam.

so in this case firefox is not telling beam what to transmit.

but one clever implementation with beam on Android is if the app dont tell what to beam it will open the app in other device.
if the app is not installed then it will open playstore and let you install it

 

[oldAGE]

How about apps that are built and designed by Google? Google Play Music as an example. I want to move a song from my S3 to my N7 and it's available via Samsung's Music Player or Google Play Music. A file is a file is a file. Binary bits of zeros and ones. So why would the A-beam function of the Android Operating System not work with the operating system developers own apps? This is a systemic issue. It should not be app specific. Everything that resides on these devices are files or packages of files. So the logic stands to reason that it could be difficult to move an app that is packaged. That I can agree on. But moving singular files (song, picture, document) should be child's play.

So do us a favor. Please list the "app(s)" that you beam with and please provide directionality.... I don't see you beaming your N4 to your N7. If I have similar apps on my S3 and N7, then I will give it a shot in both directions.

AGE

 

[ultravisitor]

It's always worked just fine for me. The problem may be with what you're trying to beam.

 

[dartutox]

At the simplest...
I have some text in a text editor, I want to give it to her machine, mate the two machines as required, the text editor on her machine is activated, but the text is not transferred.

You can't get much simpler than that.
If it can't beam that, then the whole concept is a waste of space.
Dx

 

[mr_nobody]

At the simplest...
I have some text in a text editor, I want to give it to her machine, mate the two machines as required, the text editor on her machine is activated, but the text is not transferred.

You can't get much simpler than that.
If it can't beam that, then the whole concept is a waste of space.
Dx

As said above, the APP needs to support it...sounds like it does not...

 

[dartutox]

In the light of what Diknak wrote. "...those are handled by the gallery app." I thought I'd try that, just to see if the two machines were capable of Beaming.

I have a particular picture in the Gallery app on my machine that's not in the Gallery of her machine, so I beamed that, and indeedy it did work.
Thus confirming at the least, both machines are configured correctly.
Thereafter tried out a number of other (Important for us) apps that we use, particularly a Db app, but not a single one of them beamed, so as I wrote before, this whole beaming concept is really a waste of space and time... So back to the traditional method which always works.

Thanks for the input folks, it has been very useful.
Dx

 

[return_0]

How about apps that are built and designed by Google? Google Play Music as an example. I want to move a song from my S3 to my N7 and it's available via Samsung's Music Player or Google Play Music. A file is a file is a file. Binary bits of zeros and ones. So why would the A-beam function of the Android Operating System not work with the operating system developers own apps? This is a systemic issue. It should not be app specific. Everything that resides on these devices are files or packages of files. So the logic stands to reason that it could be difficult to move an app that is packaged. That I can agree on. But moving singular files (song, picture, document) should be child's play.

So do us a favor. Please list the "app(s)" that you beam with and please provide directionality.... I don't see you beaming your N4 to your N7. If I have similar apps on my S3 and N7, then I will give it a shot in both directions.

AGE

Are you saying you can't beam between your S3 and your N7? Make sure S Beam is off on the S3.

Sent from my pure Google Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[MJKearney]

In the light of what Diknak wrote. "...those are handled by the gallery app." I thought I'd try that, just to see if the two machines were capable of Beaming.

I have a particular picture in the Gallery app on my machine that's not in the Gallery of her machine, so I beamed that, and indeedy it did work.
Thus confirming at the least, both machines are configured correctly.
Thereafter tried out a number of other (Important for us) apps that we use, particularly a Db app, but not a single one of them beamed, so as I wrote before, this whole beaming concept is really a waste of space and time... So back to the traditional method which always works.

You might want to try Solid Explorer for transferring selected files via NFC. The most recent version of this file manager just added this capability. Per the update description, "NFC file transfer (files have to be checked in order to be sent."

I don't know if both devices have to have the app, but you can install the trial version (fully functioning) to find out if it will work for you. Even if it doesn't, Solid Explorer is one of the better file managers out there and is worth having.

Solid Explorer https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ps/details?id=pl.solidexplorer&token=UHiWluFa