Apps & Consumer
Google's Quick Share adds a tap-to-share mode
Google is rolling out a tap-to-share mode for Quick Share, letting Android users exchange contacts, photos, and videos by tapping two devices together.
Alongside its Pixel 11 launches on Wednesday, Google announced it’s making fast sharing between its devices easier with an improved version of Quick Share, its AirDrop-like feature, which is rolling out now. The update lets Android users send contact information, photos, videos, and more with a tap.
To use the new version of Quick Share, users bring their Android device close to another compatible Android device for what Google calls an “instant, two-way exchange.” Users can also share photos or videos from the phone’s Share Sheet, then tap devices together to complete the exchange.
The addition brings the Pixel lineup more in line with the iPhone, following the launch of the NFC-powered NameDrop feature in Apple’s iOS 17, which similarly let iPhone users share contacts, photos, or videos by touching phones together.
The Quick Share update is rolling out starting Wednesday on Pixel 6 and newer devices, and will soon arrive on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8, and Flip8 as well. Google says more devices will be supported by year-end.
Why it matters
Matching NameDrop’s tap-to-share convenience narrows one of the few remaining everyday UX gaps between Android and iPhone, and signals Google is willing to lean on Samsung’s hardware reach to get there faster.