Google has successfully deciphered Apple’s AirDrop technology and is incorporating it into its Pixel smartphones.

Wireless file transfers between Android and iPhone are now available, as Quick Share begins to gain compatibility with AirDrop.

Google has recently revealed some surprising yet positive news: owners of the Pixel 10 can now send and receive files with Apple devices via AirDrop. Interestingly, this interoperability was developed by Google without any collaboration from Apple. According to Google, it is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and macOS devices, and it encompasses the entire Pixel 10 series. Although it is currently limited to Google’s latest phones, spokesperson Alex Moriconi stated, “We’re bringing this new experience to Pixel 10 first before expanding to other devices.”

To send a file from a Pixel 10 phone using AirDrop, the Apple device owner must adjust their settings to allow their device to be discoverable by anyone — there is an option for this with an automatic time limit of 10 minutes. Subsequently, the Pixel 10 owner should be able to detect the device through Quick Share and initiate the sending process. Conversely, it appears that the transfer will resemble any standard AirDrop request that the user can approve to commence the transfer.

Support documentation indicates that the process is reciprocal. Similarly, the Pixel 10 device must also be set to be discoverable to anyone or in receive mode. When the Apple device owner initiates an AirDrop transfer, the Pixel owner must accept it, and just like that: cross-platform sharing is achieved.

A post on Google’s security blog elaborates on the implementation, asserting, “This feature does not use a workaround; the connection is direct and peer-to-peer, meaning your data is never routed through a server, shared content is never logged, and no extra data is shared.”

It is important to note that this feature is not yet available on Android devices — it is currently restricted to Google’s own phones, specifically the latest generation. Nevertheless, this represents significant news for Android users. The ability to share seamlessly between Apple devices using AirDrop is one of those incredibly useful features that has remained within the confines of the walled garden until now. With RCS now broadly adopted on iPhones, facilitating cross-platform messaging, it appears to be another substantial advancement towards reducing those garden walls.