Google's Quick Share could be coming to the apps you already use

Apple's AirDrop was one of those technologies that really stole the show when it first launched. And for a long time, Android didn't have an equivalent. Samsung introduced Quick Share back in 2020, and it didn't really gain steam until it merged with Google's alternative in 2024. While the sharing process is now fairly smooth, it still isn't completely seamless and requires a few more steps than we'd like. But it looks like that's about to change.

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It's coming next year

During Google's Android Dev Summit last week, the company announced it would release a new Quick Share SDK. This SDK will be available for both Android and iOS, aiming to make sharing files between devices much easier (via Android Authority).

Perhaps the highlight, though, is that it will also let app developers embed Quick Share in their apps, making sharing more convenient. This also means that Tap to Share will be available to developers as well.

This isn't exactly new news, since it was mentioned at Google I/O. However, this is the first step we're seeing toward making it a reality. Naturally, safety features will be in place to keep the connection secure.

Naturally, developers will have to integrate this feature into their apps. So, don't expect this to show up everywhere overnight. We do think that developers will take advantage of it, but we don't know how far this will go.

It's just getting better and better

While Android and Apple products used to be pretty divided, we've started seeing better integration or cross-platform compatibility over the past few years. We know it's not easy for brands to make this work, but it's a huge win for all the customers involved.

Perhaps the biggest upgrade over the past few years has been the ability to get messages across platforms and still get a high-quality experience thanks to RCS. RCS implementation was spotty in the beginning, but Google took over the reins, and it really started rolling.

That's not to say that Apple hasn't dragged its feet on the matter, but at least we now have end-to-end encryption for RCS. And with Quick Share gaining new improvements over the coming months, this should become quite interesting.

If you want to check out what Google's working on for the future of Android, be sure to check out all the session videos from the Dev Summit. It's not going to be flashy, but there's still a lot of knowledge there to enjoy.