Google announced today that Android’s Quick Share now works with Apple’s AirDrop system on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac to allow for easy file transfer between platforms/operating systems.
On Android, Apple devices will simply appear in the fullscreen Quick Share interface and be selectable as sharing targets if AirDrop’s “Everyone for 10 minutes” mode is active. After the iPhone user accepts (in the example below), the transfer will be received. Similarly, Android devices will appear on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
This two-way sharing between Android and Apple devices works on photos, videos, and other files. Google explains how:
This feature does not use a workaround; the connection is direct and peer-to-peer, meaning your data is never routed through a server, shared content is never logged, and no extra data is shared.
However, Google did not partner with Apple on this interoperability, with the company telling 9to5Google today that it would “welcome collaboration opportunities to address interoperability issues between iOS and Android.”
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Specifically, the Android maker would “welcome the opportunity to work with Apple to enable ‘Contacts Only’ mode in the future.”
This interoperability is born out of Google’s continued work to “make cross-platform communication more seamless for users.”
This new feature makes it possible to quickly share your photos, videos, and files with people you choose to communicate with, without worrying about the kind of phone they use.
On the security and privacy front, Google notes how this Quick Share-AirDrop interoperability is “protected by a multi-layered security approach to ensure a safe sharing experience from end-to-end, regardless of what platform you’re on.”
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