Until recently, printer support in Android was pretty spotty. Google Cloud Print, a half-solution that routes print jobs through Google's servers, came to Android in 2013; Android KitKat added native printing; and the most recent version of Android, Oreo, folded Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) into Android's default print service. Android still lacks a way to print directly to Wi-Fi connected printers, but that might be poised to change.
A commit in the Android Open Source Project Gerrit implies that Android will gain support for Wi-Fi Direct printing, which creates ad-hoc point-to-point networks directly between wireless devices and printers. The newly added code includes a package, com.android.bips.p2p, that manages Wi-Fi Direct discoveries and connections, and a user interface with menus for adding printers, selecting known printers from a list, and sending print jobs to them.
Source: Android Open Source Project
If Wi-Fi Direct sounds familiar, that's because Android's natively supported it since Ice Cream Sandwich. It's a protocol developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, the global industry association that certifies Wi-Fi products and standards, and it's capable of much more than communicating with printers. Wi-Fi Direct connections are encrypted, and use two services — Wi-Fi Direct Device Discovery and Service Discovery — to find nearby PCs, TVs, tablets, and smartphones compatible with it. Some devices with DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) support can act as media receivers, playing back audio and video that's beamed to them.
In any case, it's a convenient alternative to Bluetooth — there's no paring required. And unlike Wi-Fi hotspots, some Wi-Fi Direct devices don't require a password.
Wi-Fi Direct's been adopted by printer manufacturers like HP, Epson, and Brother, so if you picked up a wireless printer in the past few years, there's a good chance it's supported. Here's hoping a future version of Android can take advantage of it.
Source: Android Open Source Project
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