Pixels will be able to quick share files with iOS Airdrop and vice-versa

butterbun151

How do we use/install this Quick Share? It's not in GOS system settings.

https://support.google.com/android/answer/9286773

vodka

butterbun151
It is in sandboxed play settings.
Should be here: Settings > Apps > Sandboxed Google Play > Google Settings > Devices and Share

butterbun151

vodka I see, so I have to install Google Play services to use it

23Sha-ger

You can also access it via the Files app, select the file you want to share, there is a share icon near the trash.
This should bring the share menu, you can select Quick Share with the play services icon and then it will take
you to the standard menu of choosing your contact etc. Currently it works for sending files between Android.

Graphinetapper

23Sha-ger I tried using the bluetooth (that appeared in the quick share area) last night to send some txts and doc and logcat but all failed. From latest build GOS and highest build iOS

vodka

butterbun151
Yes it's a Google service, not an Android service.

23Sha-ger

Graphinetapper
Ofcourse it won't work right now. Read the announcement. It's only for P10, which GOS doesn't
yet support, and with new Play update. Too early for the party.

sSmothie

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there at some point a toggle in the QS Panel for Quick Share? Or is it because GPlay services is sandboxed and can't be accessed?

GGORG

Hey, is there any special setup to get regular android-to-android quick share to work on gos? I've been able to send files long in the past, but now it always errors out and can't connect (but it does show nearby devices and my phone does show up on others) Any special permissions or something (Play Services has Nearby Devices granted)?

xxx

23Sha-ger Pixel 10 exclusive for now, because it's Google.

Say thanks to the EU. :-) They forced Apple to be more open.

23Sha-ger

xxx
I don't think it was done with any involvement from Apple.
Multiple sources claim that Google just reversed the implementation:

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/20/google-iphone-airdrop-surprise/
https://www.techradar.com/phones/will-apple-block-googles-new-airdrop-trick-for-android-phones-here-are-3-reasons-why-it-might-not-pull-the-plug

They can in theory introduce an iOS update that will break this.
However this feature is not that "valuable" as iMessage for example, which truely locks you in the ecosystem.

xxx

23Sha-ger
Not sure:
https://www.heise.de/en/news/EU-Mandate-How-the-iPhone-Will-Soon-Share-Wi-Fi-Info-and-Restrict-the-Watch-11086912.html

https://www.heise.de/en/news/Google-allows-direct-data-exchange-between-iPhone-and-Android-smartphones-11087066.html

By chance possible. I don't care about Apple anymore.

Thorfinn

Okay so will this feature be there in grapheneOS as well ? will we be able to airdrop now ?

de0u

Thorfinn Okay so will this feature be there in grapheneOS as well ?

Maybe eventually! Impossible to predict now.

Thorfinn

Does anyone know if quickshare is safe ? i installed play services without network permission and i tried to use quickshare and it asked for bluetooth + network permission. I dont know if its safe to give it those permissions because of ICP or whatever they call it. I dont want to half ass de-googling.

de0u

Thorfinn Quick Share uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to share files, so without those permissions it won't be able to share files.

In terms of safety, I am not personally aware of any independent analyses.

Thorfinn

de0u Okay so i think quickshare utilizes network and bluetooth, but playstore does not really need to have network and bluetooth permissions ? I made a secondary user profile to try it out, installed play services and play store, disabled store right after and didnt give any permissions to both. I gave nearby devices to play services and quickshare seems to work fine (though note i didn't really try to share any files i dont have friends). So i just dont know how safe the "nearby devices" is and what exactly it does, if someone could clue me in on how it works then maybe i would be comfortable using play services with just the nearby share on my main profile as well

de0u

Thorfinn So i just dont know how safe the "nearby devices" is and what exactly it does, if someone could clue me in on how it works then maybe i would be comfortable using play services with just the nearby share on my main profile as well.

Here is some information: https://www.thelasttech.com/android/what-is-nearby-devices-in-android

There is a privacy issue, which is that some businesses may use Bluetooth beacons, and meanwhile home devices with Bluetooth may have their MAC addresses and locations harvested over time (the same is true of Wi-Fi AP MAC addresses). So if a program (such as Play Services) watches for wireless MAC addresses it can track location.

But Quick Share inherently needs to scan for nearby phones in order to share with nearby phones.

It's up to you.

Thorfinn

de0u Hmm so im thinking different profile only for quickshare, and then using something like Inter Profile Sharing (the app from accresent) to share the necessary files there and then using that temporarily just for quickshare.
I am only eager to do this because of the airdrop integration, so when that comes to grapheneOS ill try that, not enabling quickshare on my main profile for now. This way should be somewhat safer right ?

de0u

Thorfinn Hmm so im thinking different profile only for quickshare, and then using something like Inter Profile Sharing (the app from accresent) to share the necessary files there and then using that temporarily just for quickshare. [...] This way should be somewhat safer right ?

"Safer" in what sense? The general concern about the "nearby devices" permission is privacy. Regardless, if most of the time the code is in a profile that is at rest then the risks will be somewhat reduced, depending on which particular risks are of concern.

Thorfinn

de0u yeah would it be slighy more private in another user profile?