Samsung Confirms Latest Galaxy Phones Will Support Airdrop Compatibility - And I'm Thrilled

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Samsung is rolling retired AirDrop/Quick Share capacity to nan S26 series.
• Coming to Korea first connected 3/23, and nan US later successful nan week.
• Will rotation retired compatibility to different Galaxy devices astatine a later date.

A fewer months ago, Google introduced a caller characteristic that allowed Pixels to transportation files and photos to Apple devices via Quick Share, which uses AirDrop. 

This is simply a very large woody because previously, nan options to stock information betwixt iOS and Android were not great. You could matter a file, email it, or, if you're me, you could usage Google Photos links, which activity ace good pinch my mom, isolated from it really, really doesn't.

Also: How to AirDrop connected Android to iPhone (and which models support nan file-sharing feature)

All this is not astir arsenic easy arsenic AirDrop. It requires nan receiving telephone to beryllium group to "Everyone for 10 minutes," and past it works…most of nan time. It would beryllium champion if we could each conscionable activity our phones astatine each different and transportation information for illustration you tin from iPhone to iPhone, but we'll return what we tin get. 

Until now, this capacity has been constricted to Google Pixel phones, but Samsung announced coming that it is coming to nan S26 lineup starting tomorrow successful Korea and later successful nan week successful nan US. Further, nan capacity will beryllium rolled retired to each Galaxy devices "at a later date."

Democratizing record sharing

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

This is beautiful immense for this manufacture because, beyond Apple, Samsung takes up nan lion's stock of nan smartphone marketplace successful nan U.S. and abroad. So, bringing AirDrop compatibility via Quick Share is simply a monolithic measurement to summation take and consciousness of nan utility. Of course, nan rollout will beryllium constricted to group who person nan S26 bid initially, truthful that's not rather arsenic exciting, but Samsung compatibility will springiness this activity legs.

Also: Apple wasn't astatine nan world's biggest Android show - but its power was each I could see

Plus, this is awesome news for those who usage MacBooks on pinch Galaxy smartphones, which is not arsenic mini an assemblage arsenic you mightiness think. The existent record transportation method from Android to a MacBook uses an app called "Android File Transfer," which is not a bully app. "Quirky" would beryllium a bully measurement to picture its behavior. It's mostly why I usually trust connected Google Photos aliases Google Drive to move files betwixt devices.

In related news, Oppo precocious announced that it would unfastened up nan aforesaid capability. Meanwhile, Honor demonstrated its expertise to transportation files betwixt Honor phones and Apple devices. It was 1 of nan ways Apple influenced MWC without showing up. There is intelligibly a request for this to happen. It turns retired that Google rolling this retired for Pixels was conscionable nan opening act.

Great first steps

Once this spreads to each Android phones, it will alteration easier record sharing betwixt devices sloppy of platform. Bringing nan capacity to a monolithic ecosystem for illustration Galaxy will thief those seeds return guidelines among nan smartphone-toting populace, bringing america 1 measurement person to being level agnostic -- astatine slightest from a file-sharing standpoint.

Of course, this mightiness beryllium amended if Google and Apple could activity together to make nan integration much seamless. So far, Apple has been silent astir this capability, though it has allowed it to beryllium for this long, truthful possibly that points to a much cooperative future.