It was a big deal when Google unveiled a solution overnight last November to make Quick Share and AirDrop file-sharing services compatible. It only rolled out the two services on the Pixel 10 series, and it was widely expected that Apple would react and end the feature quickly. This did not happen – Google even confirmed that this year there will be a significant expansion of this compatibility mode to other mobile brands.
Direct file sharing between Pixel 10 and iPhones has been working since last November. Google has confirmed that it will get the feature to a much larger number of Androids this year. This will remove another barrier for switching from iPhone to Android
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This information was confirmed by Eric Kay, VP of Android platform development: “We launched interoperability with AirDrop last year. We’ll be expanding it to a lot of devices in 2026. We’ve spent a lot of time and energy making sure we can get compatibility working, not just with iPhones, but with iPads and MacBooks. Now that we’ve verified that, we’re working with our partners to expand this feature to the rest of the ecosystem, and you should see some exciting announcements soon.”
More Androids will be friends with AirDrop soon
Although Eric Kay did not mention the exact devices or brands he intends to work with more closely, Samsung is clearly coming out between the lines. The latter is one of Google’s most important partners and will soon announce the expected Galaxy S26 series. Google hopes that this function will remove one of the other barriers that could prevent the transition from iPhone to Android. So it’s important for Google to offer this option as soon as possible and on as many devices as possible.
However, we must also focus on the motivation from the other side – that is, the manufacturers themselves, whose phones will be able to share files with iPhones more easily. Nothing already confirmed last November that it would integrate a similar function into its smartphones “as soon as possible”and Qualcomm also commented in a similar vein. He stated that “can’t wait”when a similar feature becomes available on phones with Snapdragon processors in the near future.
And it’s definitely good for us that the cooperation of Quick Share and AirDrop services will not remain only with Pixels, which would be a great shame. Google working with other brands could also help to finally get some major fixes to this feature. In its current form, the phone automatically disconnects from Wi-Fi when sharing via Quick Share and cannot connect to it again, because it does not see any networks in range (only an automatic hot-spot from other phones).
The file will be transferred, but the phone will temporarily lose connectivity. However, as soon as you close the Quick Share screen, the phone can connect to Wi-Fi suddenly. But if you want to share files from the Pixel 10 via Quick Share with a computer, it will be a problem. Because Wi-Fi is turned off, the phone will not see it.
Once everything is fixed and ready, all you have to do is download the Quick Share Extension app from Google Play. It is already available in the Play Store, but it is not yet available for devices other than the Pixel 10. And that should change very soon.
date:2026-02-07 15:50:00
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