As smart devices continue to embed themselves in our lives, we are starting to see new use cases emerge that span across multiple devices. The classic example is a text we start reading on a phone but prefer to finish on a tablet. Other examples include plotting a cycling route on a laptop and then transferring the data to a bike computer for easier navigation or using a mobile phone as a webcam. Such use cases require very specific kinds of features, like the discovery of nearby devices, secure communication and multi-device sessions. Apple started introducing such features a while ago to its own SDKs, and now Google has released the first preview of its Cross device SDK. Although the preview has several limitations — for example, only phones and tablets are supported and only two devices at a time — the technology is exciting and can be utilized as it is rolled out over time.
