Google has added interoperability support between Android Quick Share and Apple AirDrop, to let users share files between Pixel devices and iPhones.
For now, only Pixel 10-series devices support the new data transmission and reception capability, but more Android models will follow.
Quick Share (formerly Nearby Share) is Android's built-in wireless file-sharing system for sending media, documents, and other files between Android devices over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct.
AirDrop is Apple's equivalent system, which, so far, has only worked for sharing files among iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Both systems are proprietary and follow different technical approaches, each using its own discovery protocol, authentication flow, and packet formats and parsers.
The lack of a common communication standard between Apple and Google devices restricted users to sharing files with peers in the same ecosystem.
Google announced that this lockdown has been lifted, and people can now share or receive files from or to iOS devices in a secure way.
"As part of our efforts to continue to make cross-platform communication more seamless for users, we've made Quick Share interoperable with AirDrop, allowing for two-way file sharing between Android and iOS devices, starting with the Pixel 10 Family," reads the announcement.
"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."
The tech giant assures users that the new file-sharing system was built with security at its core, adhering to its strict development safeguards, including threat modeling, internal security and privacy reviews, and internal penetration testing.
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