Although there are many uses of Wi-Fi on Android-based devices, Google is trying to make Wi-Fi even more useful. The company has just released an app that lets you measure the distance between two phones, and this is something developers can use to make more Wi-Fi-based apps.
Utilize Wi-Fi Aware's Capabilities
WifiNanScan has Wi-Fi Aware at its core which helps the app to find nearby Wi-Fi-enabled devices and measure the distance.
Here's how Google describes Wi-Fi Aware:
Wi-Fi Aware capabilities enable devices running Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher to discover and connect directly to each other without any other type of connectivity between them. Wi-Fi Aware is also known as Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN).
In short, Wi-Fi Aware basically helps connect two nearby devices without any hassle. A user can use this connection to exchange data between the devices.
WifiNanScan Helps Measure the Distance Between Phones
WifiNanScan relies on Wi-Fi Aware's core structure and you can use this app to find out how far the other device is from your device.
Google describes this app as:
The WifiNanScan app measures the distance between two smartphones using the Wi-Fi Aware protocol (also called Neighborhood Aware Networking(NAN)). It’s designed as a research, demonstration, and testing tool for developers, vendors, universities, and more.
There are many Wi-Fi-based apps that will be able to benefit from the functions of WifiNanScan.
Features of WifiNanScan
You can use WifiNanScan to measure the distance between two compatible phones with the precision of about one meter. This is when you've kept the phones 15 meters apart.
While this data might not be much useful to the end-users, developers can make use of this data to guide their file-sharing and such similar apps.
How to Use WifiNanScan on Your Android Device
If you're curious and you want to give this app a try, the app's available on the Google Play Store.
To use the app, your Android device must run Android 8.0 or later. Once you confirm your phone runs the supported version, head over to the Google Play Store and download and install the WifiNanScan app on your device.
Launch the app when it's installed, and you can start using it however you want.
Get More Wi-Fi Features on Your Android Device
Android phones offer many features that utilize Wi-Fi, and this new addition to those features is surely going to make Wi-Fi even more useful on these devices.
If you're a developer, you can start thinking of ideas on how to implement this feature into your development.