Google may make it easier to share files between Android and iPhone

Wish it was easier to share files between Android and iPhone? Android Authority says a file-sharing service designed for Android devices may eventually become available on Apple products.

During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, Google announced its collaboration with Samsung to introduce a new feature called Quick Share, which aims to simplify file sharing. This feature offers a unified solution for sharing files across Android devices, Chromebooks, and Windows systems, making the process seamless within these ecosystems. Think of it like AirDrop but for Android.

Quick Share is unavailable on Apple devices such as the iPhone and Mac since it launched earlier this year. However, it looks like that could change in the future.

Recently, a Google engineer shared insights on the company’s “Nearby” repository on GitHub, hinting at the possibility of launching Quick Share on Apple devices. Specifically, the engineer said that for “iOS and macOS, the device name is already localized and generally works well for Quick Share purposes (i.e., “Niko’s MacBook Pro”), so avoid using the non-localized account name and device type concatenation.”

While the engineer did not specifically state that Google plans to bring Quick Share to iPhones and Macs, the mention of iOS and macOS here makes it apparent that Google is at least thinking about bringing the feature over.

So, this is big news, right? The issue is that Quick Share is quite similar to Apple’s AirDrop, which raises questions about its potential market on Apple devices.

Apple introduced AirDrop in 2011, initially allowing file transfers only between Macs. However, with the release of iOS 7, the service expanded to support other Apple devices, including iPhones and iPads. With AirDrop, you can wirelessly send files such as photos, videos, contacts, documents, and more to nearby Apple devices.

Since AirDrop is available on Apple devices by default, there likely aren’t many Apple users who would find Quick Share beneficial. However, there may be a market for people who use multiple operating systems. For instance, someone who uses an Android or Windows-based computer for work and an iPhone for personal use might appreciate this feature. Alternatively, it could simplify sharing files between two people if one person has an iPhone and the other has an Android phone.

Again, there’s no guarantee Quick Share is coming to the iPhone (and if so, we don’t know when), but this is potentially something to look forward to.