Why does AirDrop work with Android now?

Nobody who matters has given a full public answer. Google says it built a way for Quick Share to work with AirDrop and says its security was reviewed. The European Commission has published rules that make Apple open some iPhone features to other developers, including close-range file transfer. Apple has not, as far as we could find, published a statement about AirDrop and Android. Anything beyond those facts is inference, and we mark ours as opinion below.

What does Google say?

Google's 20 November 2025 announcement describes "a way for Quick Share to work with AirDrop," rolling out to the Pixel 10 family first, with plans to expand to more Android devices. It does not say whether Apple took part. Google's security post says the connection is "direct and peer-to-peer," that an outside firm tested it, and that Quick Share works with AirDrop's "Everyone for 10 minutes" mode. It adds that Google "would welcome the opportunity to work with Apple" on Contacts Only. As far as we could see, neither post mentions the European Union.

What did the European Commission require?

Under Article 6(7) of the Digital Markets Act, the Commission's page on its Apple proceedings says Apple "must provide developers and businesses with free and effective interoperability with hardware and software features controlled by its operating systems iOS and iPadOS." The decision on connected devices covers nine features. Two matter here: "high-bandwidth peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections," with Wi-Fi Aware 4.0 listed for iOS 26, and "close-range wireless file transfers," which the page says would create "for example, alternatives to AirDrop," with deadlines in iOS 27 and, at the latest, the end of 2026.

Read that carefully. The page does not say Apple must make AirDrop itself work with Android, and it does not mention Quick Share. It concerns EU rules and the iPhone features that other developers can build on. Apple's own interoperability page describes the request process under the same article and says nothing about AirDrop or Android.

Some press reports tie Google's feature to these EU rules. We did not find a Google, Apple, or Samsung page that says so, so we leave the link as unconfirmed.

What has Apple said?

We found no Apple statement about AirDrop working with Android. Apple's AirDrop help pages describe sharing between Apple devices. What its pages do say is how the receiving side behaves, such as the Everyone for 10 Minutes setting on iPhone, which Apple says reverts after 10 minutes. Android is not mentioned on the page.

What do we think? (opinion)

This section is opinion, not sourced fact.

We think the likeliest reading is the dull one: Google engineered a bridge on its own side, aimed at the setting Apple already offers to anyone nearby, which would explain why only "Everyone for 10 minutes" works and why Google talks about Contacts Only as something it would need Apple for. We would not be surprised if the EU rules made it easier, but we cannot show it.

We also think the more useful question for a Mac owner is what this does and does not fix. It fixes file sharing on listed phones, for free. It does nothing for the clipboard, texts, notifications, calls, or the webcam. That is the gap The Relay sells into, and it is why you should read our opinion with that in mind: The Relay publishes this article, and it benefits if people think the gap remains.

What should I take from this?

• File sharing between Android and Apple devices is now a product, not a hack, on supported phones. See the timeline of what changed.
• The reasons are partly public and partly guesswork. Prefer the sources above to any confident story.
• Check your own phone rather than waiting for a rule or a press release.

Questions people ask

Did Apple agree to this?

Not that we could find. Google's posts do not say Apple took part, and Google says it would like to work with Apple on Contacts Only.

Is the EU the reason?

The EU has published rules that open some iPhone features to other developers. No official page we found says they are the reason for Quick Share's AirDrop support.

Is it safe?

Google says an independent firm reviewed it and that data is not routed through a server. Neither is a guarantee. Setting AirDrop to Everyone lets any nearby device offer you a file, so switch it back afterwards.