The new Tap to Transfer animation of Android, just discovered thanks to the analysis of the APK of Google Play Services, could be a clue to the new and already rumored Google Nest Hub with modular design – with a detachable display from the dock -, but it could easily indicate none of this.
Does Tap to Transfer anticipate the new Google Nest Hub?
The novelty was discovered by the 9to5Google team through the classic APK Insight: the APK file of the latest beta version of Google Play Services available on the Google Play Store has been decompiled. As always in these cases, the usual caveat applies: the presence of clues of this type does not guarantee either that their interpretation is correct, or that the manufacturer will really come to introduce a certain function.
In the present case, last week we started talking about a new alleged Google Nest Hub with an unusual design, with the screen separable from the speaker base and usable in all respects like a tablet. Now, in the 22.12 version of Google Play Services, the new Tap to Transfer animation has been found, which refers to a function initially spotted on Android 13 (here is our test of the first developer preview and our in-depth analysis with all the news, including that in speech ).
The same should use UWB (Ultra Wideband) connectivity and allow the transfer of audio playback from one device to another by simply bringing the smartphone closer to a second compatible device. The following animation is more explanatory than many words and even gives us a first look at a smart display with some noteworthy details.
First of all, none of Google’s current smart displays have hardware-level support for UWB connectivity, and this also applies to the second-generation Google Nest Hub model with Soli radar. From this not so trivial observation it is clear that being this technology is central to the new Android function described, the smart display depicted by the Big G team in the animation is a new one.
Secondly, the animation itself allows us to learn a secondary but interesting detail: despite the name used – Tap to Transfer – the two devices are only brought closer but do not touch each other, therefore no tap may be necessary.
To what has been said we must also add another detail, which is perhaps the most significant of all: in the animation, it is evident how along the upper portion of the device there are physical buttons with a familiar appearance: the longer one is the classic button to raise. and turn down the volume, the other looks like a very common power button(therefore also used to turn off the screen and wake it up). It is precisely the latter that arouses curiosity: it is an unusual present for a smart display, as usually this type of device, being connected to the current, allows you to make the most of the always-on function.
On the other hand, this button is always found on smartphones and tablets and would make perfect sense on a device with a screen that can be separated from the dock and, therefore, powered by a battery.
Too little to be sure
As we said at the beginning, getting excited about such a clue would make no sense. Yes, because the device visible in the animation of the Tap to Transfer function could be a generic stand-in and have nothing to do with the alleged new Google Nest Hub. After all, over the years, Google’s animations have alternated the use of perfectly recognizable forms of real devices with others that are generic and useful only for the purpose of illustration.
If the one saw was actually the new Nest Hub smart display/tablet, Google wouldn’t stray too far from the design of previous models. It would also finally bring UWB technology into its own ecosystem (Apple, say, has already done this with the HomePod Mini). At present, we just have to wait for the appearance of more concrete clues. In the meantime, tell us in the comments if you would like such a device.