Google Launches ‘Tap to Share’ Feature Within Quick Share
Google has finally introduced a Tap to Share function within Quick Share, allowing compatible Android phones to exchange contact details or initiate file transfers when tapped together.
To exchange contacts, two Android users must unlock their phones, bring the devices within roughly an inch of each other, and review contact details before saving them.
To send a photo, video, or other file, a sender opens the Android Share Sheet and then brings their device close to the recipient’s. The recipient then has the option to review and accept or reject the file. Quick Share manages the transfer after the phones begin the interaction.
Tap to Share builds on Quick Share, which lets people send files to nearby devices, much like Apple’s AirDrop has for ages. The feature reportedly uses built-in NFC tags and proximity to send data from one phone to another. People who do not want to use it can turn it off in Settings by selecting Quick Share and disabling Tap to Share.
The feature won’t work on every Android device immediately. For now, Google is limiting it to Pixel 6 and newer running Android 17, though it plans to add more devices this year. The newly released Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Fold 8, and Z Flip 8 will receive support soon.
The company has not announced direct Tap to Share compatibility with iPhones, iPads, Macs, Windows PCs, or Chromebooks, but Pixel users can already use Apple’s AirDrop with nearby iPhones, iPads, and Macs without any third-party apps.
