Samsung Galaxy S26 & More Androids Gain AirDrop Support via Quick Share

Samsung Galaxy S26 series owners will soon be able to directly share files and media with Apple devices, the South Korean electronics giant announced Monday. The new capability, enabled through Samsung’s Quick Share feature, brings AirDrop-style functionality to a wider range of smartphones, initially rolling out in Korea with expansion planned for North America, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and Latin America later this week.

The move follows Google’s introduction of Quick Share compatibility with AirDrop on its Pixel phones last year, a feature initially limited to the Pixel 10 but subsequently expanded to other Pixel models including the 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold. Samsung’s implementation allows Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra users to share files with iPhones and Macs, requiring users to enable a new “Share with Apple devices” toggle within the Quick Share settings menu.

While offering a similar experience to AirDrop, the Android implementation currently requires iPhone users to set their device’s visibility settings to “everyone for 10 minutes” to receive files. This differs from the native AirDrop experience on Apple devices, which offers more streamlined, peer-to-peer sharing.

The expansion of AirDrop-compatible sharing is partially a result of new European Union regulations. These rules mandated that Apple implement Wi-Fi Aware technology in its native file-sharing feature, paving the way for interoperability with Android’s Quick Share. Google’s initial development of Quick Share was a direct response to these requirements.

Samsung has indicated that the AirDrop functionality will be extended to additional Galaxy devices at a later date, though a specific timeline has not been provided. The company did not specify which models would receive the update, or when it would be available in regions beyond those initially announced.