When it comes to transferring files between devices, there are a number of different apps on the Google Play Store that you can use. Among these is Join, a feature-rich app from the developers of the popular automation app Tasker, that allows you to easily connect two devices and share things like notifications, messages, clipboard data, location, files, and much more. While the Join app already lets you share files between devices, it currently relies on Google Drive for the purpose. In order to simplify the process and make file transfers on local networks faster, the latest beta release of Join brings support for local network file transfer.
In a recent post on Reddit, developer u/jaomgcd announced the release of Join version 2.3.beta which brings support for local file transfers and favorite right-click commands, among other things. As you'd expect, the local file transfer feature allows you to send files between devices that are connected to the same network. To use the feature, you'll first need to download the latest beta release of Join on your Android device and, if you wish to transfer files between your smartphone and your PC, install the latest beta release of the Join Chrome Extension on your PC.
Once you have the app installed and running on your devices, you'll need to connect both the devices to the same network. After that, all you need to do is select Join from the share menu on your Android device and select the other device from the following list to share your files instantly. On the other hand, if you're transferring files from your PC you just need to drag and drop the file in Join on your PC and you're done. Devices connected to the same local network will show up with a special icon (see image below).
To facilitate this feature, the latest Join beta also brings three new local network settings that allow you to enable/disable the feature, allow any device to access your device on your local network without needing authentication, and open Join's remote file browser to see any file on your device from any browser on your local network. Along with the local file transfer feature, the update also brings a new favorite right-click commands option in the Join Chrome Extension. The option lets you choose which commands show up as the top-level Join commands when you right-click something on a webpage. For instance, if you use the Call command a lot when selecting a phone number on a webpage, you can now set Call as a favorite command and it'll appear right at the top of the Join context menu.
If you're interested in trying out these new features, you can join the Join beta by following this link and then download the latest beta release from the Play Store. In case you don't wish to wait for the beta update on the Play Store, however, you can also download the Join 2.3.beta APK from the link below.