{"id":303216,"date":"2025-11-23T09:22:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T09:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/303216\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T09:22:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T09:22:19","slug":"google-shows-off-a-way-to-use-airdrop-on-android-will-apple-let-it-fly-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/303216\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Shows Off a Way to Use AirDrop on Android. Will Apple Let it Fly?"},"content":{"rendered":"

AirDrop<\/a> has long been exclusive to Apple devices, but Google has created a way for Android phones to tap into the file-sharing function.<\/p>\n

Coming first to Pixel 10 phones, the feature uses Google\u2019s competing solution for Android, Quick Share<\/a>, to connect to Apple\u2019s AirDrop. A Pixel 10 can then send videos, photos, and other files to a nearby iPhone, despite the different operating systems. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard from many people that they want a simpler way to share files between devices,\u201d Google says<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A demo video<\/a> 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.\u00a0The iPhone then sends a separate image back to the Pixel 10, apparently over the same connection. <\/p>\n


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In a separate blog post<\/a>, Google added: \u201cWe’ve made Quick Share interoperable with AirDrop, allowing for two-way file sharing between Android and iOS devices.\u201d <\/p>\n

The catch is that the interoperability requires the iPhone to set AirDrop to \u201cEveryone for 10 Minutes<\/a>\u201d 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 \u201cContacts Only.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be curious to see if Apple reacts in any way. Google\u2019s blog post notes that \u201cwe welcome the opportunity to work with Apple to enable \u2018Contacts Only\u2019 mode in the future,\u201d which suggests the iPhone maker didn\u2019t give its blessing.<\/p>\n

Apple didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment. But we wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Apple tries to crack down, and views the interoperability as a potential security threat.<\/p>\n

Apple didn\u2019t take too kindly to a developer creating an app that brought iMessage to Android<\/a> in 2023, for example. But Google is a much bigger foe, and has not shied away from criticizing Apple\u2019s walled-garden approach, most notably with its campaign to get Apple to adopt RCS<\/a> messaging technology. (Apple finally relented<\/a> on that last year.)<\/p>\n

Recommended by Our Editors<\/p>\n

Perhaps in response, Google\u2019s blog post says it designed the interoperability through rigorous security testing and built-in safeguards. \u201cThe communication channel itself is hardened by our use of Rust<\/a> 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,\u201d Google adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All file-transfer requests also require user approval. \u201cThis 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,\u201d Google added.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no word on when the feature will expand to other Android phones.\u00a0 But Google describes the function as \u201cjust the first step as we work to improve the experience and expand it to more devices.\u201d<\/p>\n

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About Our Expert<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Michael Kan<\/p>\n

Senior Reporter<\/p>\n

Experience<\/p>\n

I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.<\/p>\n

Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service. <\/p>\n

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast<\/a> to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation<\/a> with Motherboard.<\/p>\n

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out<\/a> in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.<\/p>\n


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