Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo create ‘Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance’

Three Chinese smartphone vendors have created a cross-brand alliance to enable wireless file transfer without needing the internet.

The tie-up between the three brands will ensure WiFi Direct is supported on all devices moving forward, effectively allowed smartphones to pair to enable the transfer of files, including photos, videos and music, without being online.

“This expansion of the Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance to global users all the more underlines Xiaomi’s longstanding commitment of bringing innovation to everyone,” said Chew Shou Zi, SVP of Xiaomi.

“By joining hands with Vivo and Oppo, two industry leaders that have a strong user base, we are expecting to benefit smartphone users globally. Xiaomi will continue to bring more strategic partnerships of this sort to our users and Mi Fans.”

The idea of WiFi Direct is relatively simple. Two compatible devices simply connect to each other, creating an ‘ad hoc network’ and cutting out the middle-man; the internet. Users can simply turn on the feature, select the desired device, before transferring whatever content they want. This could be useful down the pub, but equally when transferring documents to a printer or displaying a video on a TV screen.

This is not necessarily a new idea, but it is a useful one. Numerous companies, including Xiaomi, have introduced such features though they are contained within their own ecosystem. Xiaomi devices could link-up to other Xiaomi devices, though this alliance between the three OEMs is a positive step towards expanding the ecosystem and usefulness of the feature.