Opera Flow makes it easy to sync links, pics, videos

Apr 25, 2018 12:00 GMT  ·  By

The most recent version of Opera browser introduces a new feature called Flow, whose purpose is to enable content synchronization between Android and PCs with minimum configuration.
 

Opera Flow isn’t supposed to let you transfer files from an Android PC to a desktop computer, but instead, keep your browsing in sync and allow you to save notes in a conversation-based interface on all your devices.

How to set up Opera Flow

First and foremost, in order to your Opera Flow, you need to be running the latest version of Opera browser on both your PC and the Android phone. On PC, the most recent version of Opera browser at the time of writing this article is 52.0.2871.97. On Android, you’re going to need Opera Touch, which right now is at version 1.0.

Setting up the feature doesn’t take too much time. Launch the desktop version of Opera (updated to the most recent build) and in the side bar, click the My Flow icon. You’re going to see a brief description of how Opera Flow works, along with photos and demos to understand its purpose.

Click the Connect your phone in the top right corner and a QR code should show up on the screen. Next, you need to launch Opera Touch on your Android phone.

Opera for desktop with Flow
Opera for desktop with Flow
Opera for desktop with Flow
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In Opera Touch, tap the Fast Action Button (FAB) in the lower part of the UI and then tap the My Flow tab in the top left corner. Click Connect to computer and then Scan QR code. If necessary, grant Opera Touch permissions to use the camera, as the app will scan the QR code on your PC to establish the connection between devices.

If you don’t want to use the camera, and therefore offer camera permissions to the app, you can manually pair the PC and the Android phone using the connection code, which is generated in the desktop version of Opera browser.

How to use Opera Flow

Once the connection between the PC and the Android phone is established, all you have to do is to select content that’ll be synced. To do this, whenever you find a link, YouTube video, photo, or any other web-based content that you want to send from PC to phone or the other way around, just tap the Flow icon next to the address bar and the process takes place instantly.

For text, you can simply select the words that you want to sync, right-click the selection, and then hit the option that reads “Send to My Flow.” In the case of images, it’s enough to just right-click them and then click “Send image to My Flow.”

The synced content is displayed in a conversation-based UI, with a small PC or phone icon to show which device sent the link. The connection uses end-to-end encryption, so your data is always secure.

Opera for desktop with Flow
Opera for desktop with Flow
Opera for desktop with Flow
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Additionally, you can also write down notes, either from PCs or Android phones, to have them synced between devices. What I’d really find useful is file transfer support, but it’s probably just a matter of time until this happens.

Whenever new content is sent to Flow from a PC, the Android device receives a notification to let you preview it. If tapped, the notification launches Opera Touch straight in the My Flow tab.

There are just a few seconds available to users, including options to view and disconnect a connected device, clear the flow, and reset all connections.

Opera Flow is still in its early days, but everything seems to be running quite smoothly, with no error experienced during our testing whatsoever. Hopefully, Opera will continue improving the feature with more advanced functionality, even though at this point, Flow could be reason enough for many users to give up on Google Chrome and embrace Opera on all their devices.

Photo Gallery (11 Images)

The latest version of Opera with Flow support
Opera for desktop with FlowOpera for desktop with Flow
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