Google Tone is a free Chrome extension that lets you share URLs with nearby computers. The extension plays audio that nearby computers can record to access the URL sent.
Being on the same page is crucial when working with a team. Hence, communication is the most important aspect of teamwork. In this post, we will explore an unconventional means of digital communication.
There are quite a few common options available for short-distance data transfer. They include Bluetooth, Infrared, Wi-Fi and a few more. While most of these rely on some extra hardware, there is one more mode of transfer that can happen over a pair of microphones and speakerphones. Google Tone is a very good example of an application using audio for transferring small information such as text and URLs. It is a free Chrome extension that lets you share URLs with nearby computers with help of audio. The extension plays an audio that can be recorded by nearby computers to access the URL sent.
Google Tone for Chrome browser
Tone can broadcast any URL to nearby computers using your computer’s speakers. At the same time, it can also listen to any incoming messages from other Tone users.
The extension comes in very handy whenever you want to share a URL quickly with people around you. Tone can be used while delivering a presentation or a demo where sharing the URL with the audience is necessary. Tone cannot send information to phones yet, but we believe it will be available soon. For now, you can broadcast URLs only to nearby computers having the Tone extension installed on Google Chrome.
Using the extension is simple enough. Just install the extension from the Chrome Web Store and wait till the blue speakerphone icon appears beside the address bar. Once it is there, you can hit that icon to share the URL from your browser with nearby computers. Remember that for Google Tone to work, you must disable or disconnect any headphones or earphones. Once you hit the button, you will be able to hear audio from your computer with the URL embedded in it. It is advised to use this extension when there is less background noise.
Also, if Google Tone is successful in sending the URL, the blue speaker icon will turn green else. It will turn red. For proper functioning, the microphone should be enabled, and Google Tone should be able to hear itself.
On the receiver side, you will see a small notification that a URL has been broadcasted. You can click open this notification and be redirected to the URL sent via the audio. The extension will not automatically open the URL for you, so you are protected against any malicious links that can be sent over audio.
Talking about the security, the URLs you sent are totally public. Anyone listening to the audio can open that URL on his/her computer. So, make sure you don’t send anything that is confidential using Google Tone.
The URLs are shared as they would have been in a text-based medium. No session information or saved credentials are transferred; the plain text URL is shared in the audio.
Google Tone is one great extension that uses technology at its best. Also, when you send something using audio, it is like the way you talk. The audio cannot penetrate walls, and the volume can be adjusted to reach an apt number of people. For now, Google Tone only supports URL sharing, but we expect more features soon. A similar implementation of this technology can be observed in Google Tez, a UPI application in India that lets you pay to nearby users using audio. Click here to get Google Tone.
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