Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR Strings within the leaked One UI 8.5 build suggest that Samsung is working on NFC-based file sharing using Quick Share.
This experimental feature will allow users to start file transfers by bringing their devices close together.
One UI 8 has just started reaching several Galaxy phones in its stable avatar, but thanks to a leaked One UI 8.5 build, we already have plenty of details about what is coming next for Samsung devices. We’ve seen leaks for the Settings page, and discovered new features such as Photosensitive Epilepsy protection, Private Display, Automatic Call Screening, and more. We’ve now spotted strings within the alleged One UI 8.5 builds indicating that Samsung could bring file sharing with Quick Share using NFC.
These new strings were in Korean, so we’ve translated them into English:
Code Copy Text This experimental feature allows you to share files directly with nearby devices using Quick Share using NFC. Using NFC NFC
As the strings mention, this NFC-based file sharing with Quick Share will likely be an experimental feature, so users will likely have to opt in to use it. Since it will use NFC, users can start the transfer process by bringing their devices close to each other, much like the Android Beam process of the past. Android Beam used Bluetooth to share files once the NFC handshake was complete, but we don’t expect Quick Share to use Bluetooth as its primary choice, as Wi-Fi Direct is much faster.
The NFC transfer will allow users to play an animation, which they can seemingly configure:
Code Copy Text The animation will play as configured on the sending device. Select a type from the tabs below. NFC Animation
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The resurgence of NFC-proximity-based transfer, the option to select the animation, and the recent iOS 26 inspirations spotted in leaked One UI 8.5 builds — all these clues lead us to speculate that there is a chance that Samsung could be working on a NameDrop-like UX as part of simplifying the Quick Share process.
Let’s be clear: This is speculation. Quick Share, in its current avatar, already serves the needs of most users, and bringing back NFC-based file transfers feels like a move from 2015 otherwise. We don’t know yet if Samsung is working on a NameDrop competitor or a similar UX for One UI 8.5, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s coming.
Note that NFC-based file sharing functionality has remained present in Google’s version of Quick Share (previously known as Nearby Share). However, it is underused as most people are not aware of its existence, and the fact that you are more likely to spot your devices in the nearby list before you even tap them together. It’s possible that Samsung’s version of Quick Share is catching up to Google’s version, but that doesn’t adequately explain the experimental tag attached to the feature.
Thanks to That Josh Guy for the assistance!
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
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