After introducing AirDrop support to Pixel 10 devices last year, Google is now ready to extend it to phones made by other Android partners. Android’s vice president of engineering, Eric Key, confirmed that during a press briefing. Android Authority That “a lot more” Android devices will be able to use Instant Share to start AirDrop sessions with Apple devices this year.
“We spent a lot of time and energy making sure we could make something that was compatible not only with the iPhone, but also with iPads and MacBooks,” Kay said. “Now that we’ve proven it, we’re working with our partners to expand it to the rest of the ecosystem, and you should see some exciting announcements coming very soon.”
Currently, Google’s Pixel 10 phones are the only Android devices that can communicate directly with Apple’s aircraft, already known as Share. Google hasn’t yet outlined any specific Android partners or devices for the update, but back in November, chipmaker Qualcomm teased that support was coming.
Key also discussed Google’s efforts to improve processes for iOS users that help prevent incomplete data transfers, lost messages and other issues. Apple has been working on a “user-friendly” way to transfer data from iPhones to other devices since early 2024, and Google and Apple’s collaborative efforts were tested in December in Android Canary 2512 for Pixel devices.
“We’re also working for people who decide to switch to migrate their data and make sure they get everything from their old phone,” Kay said during the same briefing. “So there’s a lot more going on with it.”
