Android may soon copy AirDrop with a new tap to share tool: How it will work
Follow UsSamsung and Google are reportedly working on a tap to share feature.
The feature will likely allow users to transfer files by holding the top of one phone close to another.
The feature appears to be part of an upgrade to Google Quick Share.
Sharing files between smartphones could soon become much easier for Android users. A new feature reportedly in development may allow people to transfer files simply by tapping two phones together. The idea is similar to the sharing experience offered by Apple AirDrop, which allows quick file transfers between Apple devices. According to a report by Android Authority, the feature appears to be part of an upgrade to Google Quick Share, the existing Android file-sharing system. With this feature, you won’t have to manually select devices or pair phones to transfer files. Keep reading for all the details.
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How the feature may work
The upcoming tool is reportedly called Tap to share. As the name suggests, the feature will likely allow users to initiate file transfers by holding the top of one phone close to another. The description reads, ‘Just hold the top of your phone close to the device, and the files will be sent.’ The system may rely on NFC to detect nearby devices.
The report suggests that this feature has appeared in several software teardowns over the past few months. Early versions of the feature were reportedly discovered in Samsung One UI 8.5 as an experimental option. More recent builds of Samsung One UI 9 reportedly show a clearer version of the feature under the name Tap to share.
Interestingly, references to a similar capability were also found in Google Play Services under the name Gesture Exchange. Initially, this system appeared to support contact sharing similar to Apple’s NameDrop.
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Further clues have also been spotted in Android 17 beta and Canary builds, where a system-level service called TapToShare has been referenced. This suggests that the feature may eventually become available for smartphones from other brands.
The report also suggests that Samsung and Google could be working together on this feature.
