I just used my Pixel to AirDrop files to an iPhone, and it felt like magic

On November 20, Google upgraded its Quick Share system so that Pixel 10 phones can send/receive files to and from any iPhone, iPad, or Mac over AirDrop. It sounds impossible, but it’s real— and shockingly easy to use.

I’ve been testing this new Quick Share/AirDrop compatibility, sharing all sorts of files between my Pixel 10 and my Apple devices. Simply put, it feels like magic.

Getting started with Quick Share/AirDrop sharing is ultimately pretty simple. You’ll need to update some software on your Pixel 10 and ensure your AirDrop sharing settings are configured correctly, but once that’s done, using Quick Share with an Apple device works exactly like it does when sending files to another Android phone.

I’ve used Quick Share a few times now to send files from my Pixel 10 Pro to my iPhone 16, and it’s worked beautifully each time.

Almost immediately after selecting my iPhone from the Quick Share menu, I get an AirDrop pop-up asking me to accept the file I’m sharing from the Pixel. Once I accept, the file takes a second to load, then pops up on my iPhone without a hitch. The same has been true when using Quick Share to send files to my Mac mini and MacBook Air.

On the reverse side, sharing files from Apple devices to a Pixel is just as seamless. I had my partner send me some photos from their iPhone to my Pixel 10 Pro. Sure enough, the Pixel appeared in the iPhone’s AirDrop menu, and the photos arrived on my Pixel right away.

Sharing a single photo or document takes just a second, while larger items (such as RAW photo files) take about 5-10 seconds. It’s no slower than using AirDrop between Apple devices or Quick Share between two Android phones. It all just works.

Whether sharing photos, videos, or documents, files go to/from the Pixel to my Apple gadgets as if they’ve been able to all along. There’s likely an endless amount of technical wizardry happening behind the scenes for this to work, but you’d never know it — and that’s the most impressive part about what Google has pulled off here.

Now, is it perfect? No. On a handful of instances, the file share to my Mac mini timed out and failed to complete. However, I’ve also experienced this when using AirDrop between two Apple devices, so I wouldn’t really blame Google for that one.

Perhaps more annoying is that, for all of this to work, the Apple device you’re sharing with needs to have its AirDrop settings set to Everyone / Everyone for 10 Minutes. If it’s set to Contacts Only — the default setting — nothing will happen.

We know Google enabled Quick Share and AirDrop compatibility without Apple’s input, and that the “Everyone” sharing requirement is a side effect of that. It’s something that could potentially be fixed if Apple worked with Google on this, but that seems about as likely as an iMessage app coming to Android.

Still, as irritating as that may be, it’s an extremely small price to pay considering what Google has pulled off, which is nothing short of amazing.

Perhaps the biggest question I have on my mind now is this: What happens next? Now that Google has done the impossible, how does it sustain and improve it?

First and foremost, I’m curious to see how Apple responds to this whole situation. As we’ve seen before with attempts to bring iMessage to Android, Apple has been swift to kill those services and keep its walled garden as locked down as possible. Google effectively going behind Apple’s back to bring AirDrop to Android feels like something Apple would want to strike down just as quickly. That is, assuming this wasn’t done in response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), whose impact is still unknown.

If Google is in the clear and its AirDrop trick gets to live on, the next thing to tackle is broader compatibility. Being able to use AirDrop with my Pixel 10 Pro is great, but in order for this to have any widespread impact, it needs to expand to many, many more Android phones. And not just more Pixel models, but Samsung phones, OnePlus handsets — as many Android devices as possible.

I realize that’s a tall order, but I’d argue that the hard part is already done. Google has proven that AirDrop and Quick Share can work together, and as I’ve experienced myself, it works pretty damn well.

It’s hard to believe this is the timeline we’re living in, but we are, and I love it.