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I’m building ANRO-BEAM — an Android file-sharing project inspired by Android Beam

#programming #productivity #opensource #security

Building ANRO-BEAM: Bringing Tap-to-Pair File Sharing Back to Android

I’m building ANRO-BEAM, an independent Android file-sharing project inspired by the simplicity of Android Beam.

The goal is simple: make sharing between Android phones feel straightforward, without unnecessary accounts or a cloud relay operated by the project.

The idea

ANRO-BEAM is designed around two technologies:

  • NFC for initiating the pairing experience.
  • Wi-Fi Direct for transferring files between compatible devices.

The intention is to make the process feel natural: choose a file, tap to pair, and transfer.

These are the project's design goals; compatibility and the complete transfer flow are still under development.

The debugging breakthrough

One of the biggest lessons so far has been that debugging is not just about changing code until something works.

During development, I spent days troubleshooting communication between two Android phones. The breakthrough came when I gave ChatGPT Desktop Work authorized access to the project folder and connected devices through ADB.

By reproducing the issue and inspecting logs, we could investigate the actual failure instead of guessing. A fix was then applied and tested on the connected devices.

That experience changed how I approach debugging: reproduce the problem, inspect the evidence, make a targeted change, and test again.

Open source

ANRO-BEAM's source code is available under the MIT License.

The website includes a transfer simulation, so it should not be mistaken for a working browser-based file transfer.

What's next?

The project is still evolving. I want to keep improving the interface, reliability, device compatibility, and overall sharing experience.

I'd love constructive feedback from other developers:

What would you prioritize in an Android file-sharing app: pairing reliability, transfer speed, compatibility, or the user interface?

Thanks for checking out ANRO-BEAM!

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