Google's new Android update is great news for iPhone owners
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- A new Google update enabled AirDrop and Quick Share interoperability between iPhone and Android devices.
- Pixel 10 users can now transfer files directly to iPhones, iPads, and Macs via AirDrop.
- Google plans to expand this secure, peer-to-peer sharing feature to more Android devices.
Another wall between iPhones and Androids just went down.
Starting this week, sharing files and photos between devices is getting a lot easier for iPhone and Android owners.
AirDrop and Quick Share are wireless file-sharing features that have been available on iPhones and Androids, respectively. Thanks to an update from Google, the two features can now talk to each other for the first time.
As part of a Thursday update, iPhone and Pixel 10 owners can now transfer files using Quick Share and AirDrop. It works with iPad, macOS devices, and the entire Google Pixel 10 series of devices.
The change is the latest example of increased feature compatibility between the two major smartphone operating systems. After a yearslong marketing campaign from Google aimed at Apple, the iPhone maker in 2024 adopted the RCS communication standard, which improved the messaging experience between iPhones and Androids — even if the much-maligned green text bubbles didn't go anywhere.
To take advantage of the interoperability between AirDrop and Quick Share, Apple device owners must set their device to be discoverable by everyone, which will allow their device to show up on the Pixel 10 owner's Quick Share options. On an iPhone, the request should be received like any other AirDrop interaction that can be accepted or denied.
Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider.
Google said the compatibility feature was designed with security in mind, and there are plans to expand it to more Android devices.
"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," the tech giant said in a blog post.