Google improves file sharing by Bump acquisition

Google recently acquired the file sharing app Bump for the purpose of improving the file sharing capabilities of smartphones.

Bump is a popular app that is available both for iOS and Android with the purpose of making file sharing easy between the two platforms. Using Bump, the users can share photons, contact information and even files between two phones. Google apparently deems Bump to be of high interest and value and has therefore purchased Bump and its developer company.

Bump is unique in the sense that it does not use Bluetooth, NFC or wi-fi networks to transmit data. Instead, Bump is a cloud-based service that identifies two phones that are in in close proximity through GPS data, therefore making it a cross-platform solution. This is in stark contrast to the integrated Android Beam function which uses NFC and Apple Airdop which uses wi-fi. Both of these technologies are by their inherent nature limited to Android only or iOS only, something which Bump bridges by its unique technology.

It will be interesting to see what Google will do with their newly acquired Bump app, but it is certainly appealing to see companies who work toward bringing cross-platform solutions instead of trying to lock-down users to a single platform such as Apple Airdrop.