Android works with Apple AirDrop now, all thanks to Google

In surprising news, Google has announced that Quick Share, its in-house wireless file sharing protocol for Android and ChromeOS, will now start working with Apple’s proprietary AirDrop feature. Starting with the Pixel 10 familyof smartphones, users will be able to beam documents, images, and more to any modern-day iPhone model directly via Android’s Quick Share interface.

“We built this with security at its core, protecting your data with strong safeguards that were tested by independent security experts. It’s just one more way we’re bringing better compatibility that people are asking for between operating systems, following our work on RCS and unknown tracker alerts,” says Google in a blog post.

In a separate Security Blog post, Google goes on to confirm that Android-to-iPhone wireless sharing requires iPhone users to toggle on “Everyone for 10 minutes” within their AirDrop settings, and that it’d “welcome the opportunity to work with Apple to enable “Contacts Only” mode in the future.”

In a later statement made to Android Authority, a Google spokesperson also confirmed that AirDrop compatibility within Quick Share was implemented independently by the company and without any input or sanctioning from Apple. As such, it’s unclear whether Apple will attempt to squash compatibility via a future software update, or if it’ll opt to join forces with Google to bring “Contacts Only” mode to the feature stack at a later date.

For the time being, there’s no word on how long it’ll take for this cross-device wireless transfer functionality to make its way to the broader ecosystem of Android-powered smartphones and tablets. With no public statement made from Apple as yet, either, there are still questions surrounding the feature’s efficacy and long-term availability.

Androids and iPhones can finally peacefully coexist

The (possible) start of a new cross-platform file transfer era

Personally, I’m delighted to hear of this Quick Share development by Google. As someone who frequently uses a variety of smartphones, tablets, and PCs, and who sends and receives files between said devices on a regular basis, the ability to have my Android and ChromeOS gadgets work more seamlessly with iPhones, iPads, and Macs is incredibly welcome.

Over on the Windows 11 side of things, Google has already built a dedicated Quick Share application for PC users, which sidesteps Microsoft’s own Nearby Share protocol. I’ve been relying on Quick Share to reliably send screenshots to and from my Surface Pro 12-inch and my Pixel 10, and I can’t wait to start testing interoperability between my Pixel 10 and my iPhone 15 Pro in the near future.

In a perfect world, I’d love for Apple AirDrop, Google Quick Share, and Microsoft Nearby Share to all work in harmony with one another, as to streamline wireless data transfer for all users of all mobile computing platforms across the board. While being separate, independent protocols, the three systems do all rely on the same base Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct technologies for peer-to-peer (P2P) data sharing, after all.

In any case, and assuming there’s no big tech headbutting on the horizon, AirDrop support within Quick Share is a step in the right direction for the industry, and I hope to see Google and Apple work together as opposed to separately to further bolster cross-platform experiences such as this one.