(Credit: Google)
AirDrop has long been exclusive to Apple devices, but Google has created a way for Android phones to tap into the file-sharing function.
Coming first to Pixel 10 phones, the feature uses Google’s competing solution for Android, Quick Share, to connect to Apple’s AirDrop. A Pixel 10 can then send videos, photos, and other files to a nearby iPhone, despite the different operating systems. “We’ve heard from many people that they want a simpler way to share files between devices,” Google says.
A demo video from Google shows a Pixel 10 using the Quick Share menu to wirelessly send an image to a nearby iPhone, which receives the picture through AirDrop. The iPhone then sends a separate image back to the Pixel 10, apparently over the same connection.
In a separate blog post, Google added: “We've made Quick Share interoperable with AirDrop, allowing for two-way file sharing between Android and iOS devices.”
The catch is that the interoperability requires the iPhone to set AirDrop to “Everyone for 10 Minutes” in order to receive the file from a nearby Pixel 10. In contrast, many iPhone users likely have their AirDrop function set to receive files from “Contacts Only.”
We’ll be curious to see if Apple reacts in any way. Google’s blog post notes that “we welcome the opportunity to work with Apple to enable ‘Contacts Only’ mode in the future,” which suggests the iPhone maker didn’t give its blessing.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple tries to crack down, and views the interoperability as a potential security threat.
Apple didn’t take too kindly to a developer creating an app that brought iMessage to Android in 2023, for example. But Google is a much bigger foe, and has not shied away from criticizing Apple’s walled-garden approach, most notably with its campaign to get Apple to adopt RCS messaging technology. (Apple finally relented on that last year.)
Perhaps in response, Google’s blog post says it designed the interoperability through rigorous security testing and built-in safeguards. “The communication channel itself is hardened by our use of Rust to develop this feature. This memory-safe language is the industry benchmark for building secure systems and provides confidence that the connection is protected against buffer overflow attacks and other common vulnerabilities,” Google adds.
All file-transfer requests also require user approval. “This feature does not use a workaround; the connection is direct and peer-to-peer, meaning your data is never routed through a server, shared content is never logged, and no extra data is shared,” Google added.
There’s no word on when the feature will expand to other Android phones. But Google describes the function as “just the first step as we work to improve the experience and expand it to more devices.”