AirDrop Now Works With Android Phones, iPads, and Macs

The detail buried at the bottom of Google’s announcement is the one that actually matters: Quick Share now works not just with iPhones, but with iPads and Macs. That makes this less of an Android-to-iPhone party trick and more of a genuine cross-platform file transfer layer sitting underneath Apple’s own ecosystem.

Google and Apple quietly formalized this AirDrop interoperability in late 2025, built on an open standard that lets third-party devices appear as AirDrop targets. What’s changed now is the device list. Samsung’s entire recent Galaxy lineup, Pixel 8a through Pixel 10, and phones from OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and HONOR are all included, which covers the overwhelming majority of Android devices people are actually using.

Setup and Limitations

The handshake requires a few manual steps that Google’s framing glosses over. Android users must enable “Share with Apple devices” inside Quick Share settings, and iPhone users must set AirDrop visibility to “Everyone for 10 minutes,” a mode Apple buried partly because of past misuse concerns. Neither side does this automatically.

Once configured, transfers work like a standard AirDrop session. The Android device shows up as a recipient in the AirDrop interface, no app download required on either end.

Devices outside the supported list get a fallback: a QR code that routes files through cloud transfer instead of a direct local connection. That distinction matters for anyone moving large video files or working somewhere with a slow connection.

Motorola, HONOR, and OPPO have additional devices confirmed for later in 2025, so the supported list will keep growing. The more interesting question is whether Apple tightens the AirDrop permission requirements on its end, since the current “Everyone for 10 minutes” gate is the one friction point Google cannot control.