“Last year, we launched AirDrop interoperability,” said Eric Kay, vice president of engineering for the Android platform, speaking during a recent Pixel Labs tour at Google’s Taipei office. “In 2026, we’re going to be expanding it to a lot more devices.”
“We spent a lot of time and energy to make sure that we could build something that was compatible not only with iPhone but iPads and Macs. Now that we’ve proven it out, we’re working with our partners to expand it into the rest of the ecosystem, and you should see some exciting announcements coming very soon,” he added.
The comments were reported by Android Authority‘s Adamya Sharma, who attended the press briefing.
The file sharing option currently works on Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, and Mac, along with the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Fold.
Google has not said which specific devices are next in line to get the AirDrop interoperability via Quick Share, but Sharma notes that Kay’s comments strongly suggest it will no longer be a Pixel-exclusive feature.
Technical aspects of Google’s implementation also appear to signal its intent. Rather than tying AirDrop interoperability to a Pixel-only system component, Google enabled the feature by turning the Quick Share extension from a stub system app into a full APK distributed via the Play Store.
This change makes the feature easier to update and deploy across different manufacturers’ devices, strongly indicating that AirDrop interoperability is intended to become a broader Android feature rather than remain limited to Pixel hardware.
Indeed, Nothing has already confirmed that it is working to bring the feature to its phones, while Qualcomm has recently hinted that it also has Quick Share–AirDrop interoperability support in development for Snapdragon-powered phones.
Google says the Quick Share-AirDrop interoperability uses a multi-layered security model, including an encrypted transfer channel, built-in platform protections on both Android and iOS, and an explicit consent step before any file is received.
Currently, the feature only works in the “Everyone for 10 Minutes” AirDrop and Quick Share sharing modes, but Google says that it would like to work with Apple to support “Contacts Only” mode in the future.
This article, “AirDrop-Quick Share Interoperability Expanding to More Android Phones” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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