Google has acquired Bump, a smartphone app company whose service allows users to transfer files between handsets by tapping them together.

The companies didn’t release terms of the deal. Bump was an early hit in app stores, and the idea of transferring files locally between phones has become a recent focus among smartphone giants.

Google’s Android mobile software also allows for built-in local file-sharing, but it requires a technology known as near-field communication, which is not installed in all phones. As a result, Google may be attempting to head off competition from rival Apple, which will release its own file-sharing software as part of the update to its mobile operating software in the coming days, known as AirDrop.

Apple’s version allows files to be sent wirelessly but without the need to physically touch phones, provided the devices are near each other. Samsung, too, released a version of the Bump app known as S Beam, allowing file transfers between certain Samsung phones.

Bump Chief Executive David Lieb said he had to send all inquiries to Google.

A Google spokeswoman said, “The Bump team has demonstrated a strong ability to quickly build and develop products that users love, and we think they’ll be a great fit at Google.”

Source: WSJ