Learn how to print from Android without relying on the soon-to-be-vanishing Google Cloud Print.
With Google Cloud Printing going away this year, it's important you can continue printing from your Android devices. Fortunately, with the recent iterations of the platform, it's incredibly simple to make this happen.
In fact, I'm going to show you just how easy it is to add a printing service from within Android 10. It is important that you have a supported printer on the same network as your Android device. Once you have that taken care of, the addition of a new printer service can be done in just a minute or so.
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What you'll need
- A device running Android 10
- A printer on the same wireless network
How to add a printing service
In order to print from Android, you must add a printing service. To do this, open the Android Settings app and then tap Connected Devices (Figure A).
Figure A
The Connected Devices listing within Settings.
From within the Connected Devices window, tap Connection Preferences (Figure B).
Figure B
The Connection Preferences entry.
You should now see the Printing entry. Tap that and then tap Add Service. This will open the Google Play store to a list of all available print service drivers (Figure C).
Figure C
Print services found on Google Play.
Locate and tap the print service that matches the make of the printer available on your network. Do not select Cloud Print, as that service is going away soon. Once you tap the print service, it will automatically scan your network for an available printer (Figure D).
Figure D
Scanning for my Brother laser printer.
Once the printer is found, the connection will be made and it'll be listed (Figure E).
Figure E
My Brother printer has been added to the printing service.
And that's all there is to it. You can add as many printer services as you need--even a printer for every wireless network you connect to. Note: In order to print to a specific device, your Android phone or tablet must be on the same network as the printer.
Enjoy your new found freedom from Google Cloud Print.
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