Are Android and โApple Getting Closer? Pixel 10 Now Supports Airdrop-Like โTransfers
In a โsurprising move signaling potential increased interoperability, Google’s newโ Pixel 10 smartphones now support direct wireless file transfers to Apple devices, effectively mimicking Apple’s Airdrop functionality. the feature, first reported by The Verge, allows seamless data exchange with iPhones, iPads, andโค Macs.
The process utilizesโ Google’s “Quick Share”โ feature on the Pixel โฃ10 to initiate transfers to Apple devices. โConversely, Pixel 10 โusers can receive files via standard Airdropโข requests. While currently limited to the โPixel 10 series, Google โspokesperson Alex Moriconi has โindicated plans to expand support to additional โdevices in the future.
To initiate a โtransfer โ from a Pixel 10,โ Apple users must temporarily set their Airdrop settings to “visible toโฃ everyone.”โ Once โactivated, the Apple device will appear withinโฃ the Pixel’s Quick Share menu, allowing the transfer to begin.A โstandard โคAirdrop request will then โappear on the Appleโข device,requiring โuser confirmation.โข
Transfers can also be initiated to a Pixelโ 10; theโ Pixel simply needs to beโข in reception mode,allowing Apple โฃusers to โฃsend files via Airdrop as usual.
Google highlights the security of the connection, detailing in โฃa โsecurityโ blog post that the โtransfer is direct, peer-to-peer, and โฃdoesn’t rely on โexternal servers. The company also assures users that transferred content is not stored and no additional data is transmitted โขduring the โขprocess.
Despite this step forward,โ Google clarifies that โคthe functionality will initially โremain exclusive to its own devices and won’tโฃ be broadly implemented โคacross the โAndroidโข ecosystem.โค This advancement โarrives alongside other gradual cross-platformโ advancements, such as the ongoing discussions โsurrounding theโ adoption of โขRCS โฃmessaging onโ iPhones, which would improve messaging experiences between โขAndroid and Apple users.