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Samsung is working on its own version of Apple AirDrop for Galaxy phone users


Samsung is working on its own version of Apple AirDrop to let Galaxy phone owners quickly share photos and videos with others users nearby

  • Details of the leaked sharing feature were published online by XDA Developers 
  • The tool is said to be called Quick Share and will launch with the Galaxy S20+
  • Quick Share will also allow users to send to Samsung SmartThings devices
  • Google is reportedly working on its own Air Drop clone called Nearby Sharing

Samsung is reportedly working on its own version of Apple’s AirDrop feature, which will let Galaxy phone owners quickly share photos and videos with others nearby. 

The tool — which will be called ‘Quick Share’ — is expected to launch with the Galaxy S20+, due to be unveiled at Samsung’s Unpacked event on February 11. 

This event will also see the launch of the Galaxy Bloom, the firm’s new clamshell-folding smartphone.

Quick Share, which is predicted to come with all devices running the One UI 2.1 and above, will also support cloud sharing to Samsung SmartThings devices.

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Samsung is reportedly working on its own version of Apple's AirDrop feature which will let Galaxy phone users quickly share photos and videos with others nearby

Samsung is reportedly working on its own version of Apple’s AirDrop feature which will let Galaxy phone users quickly share photos and videos with others nearby

‘Quick Share is slated to be a pretty simple and tool for quickly sending files between two Galaxy phones,’ claims writer Max Weinbach on XDA Developers, who said that he received the so-called Android Package (APK) from an anonymous source. 

‘We were able to get the APK running on a few different Galaxy phones but we were unable to get two files to transfer between the devices,’ he added.

‘The APK was not meant for our test devices so it’s not surprising it’s not working.’

As with Apple’s AirDrop, compatible phones nearby will appear in the Quick Share screen allowing for the transfer of images, video and other files.

If enabled, Quick Share will similarly support sending and receiving either to every compatible device nearby, or just those whom are also in your contacts list. 

AirDrop — launched in 2011 — has prompted controversy over the way in which the feature’s ‘everyone’ setting can allow strangers to send unsolicited and offensive images over Bluetooth and WiFi-based communications tool. 

Following a prominent incident in 2015, in which a woman on public transport was harassed by being sent two pictures of male genitalia, such incidents became widely referred to as ‘cyber-flashing’.

As with Apple's AirDrop, pictured, compatible phones nearby will appear in the Quick Share screen allowing for the transfer of images, video and other files. AirDrop — launched in 2011 — has prompted controversy over the way in which feature's 'everyone' setting can allow strangers to send unsolicited and offensive images

As with Apple’s AirDrop, pictured, compatible phones nearby will appear in the Quick Share screen allowing for the transfer of images, video and other files. AirDrop — launched in 2011 — has prompted controversy over the way in which feature’s ‘everyone’ setting can allow strangers to send unsolicited and offensive images

The tool — to be instead called 'Quick Share' — is expected to launch with the Galaxy S20+, which will likely be unveiled at Samsung's Unpacked event on February 11

The tool — to be instead called 'Quick Share' — is expected to launch with the Galaxy S20+, which will likely be unveiled at Samsung's Unpacked event on February 11

The tool — to be instead called ‘Quick Share’ — is expected to launch with the Galaxy S20+, which will likely be unveiled at Samsung’s Unpacked event on February 11

Quick Share — unlike AirDrop — will also allow users to stream files to Samsung ‘SmartThings’ devices by temporarily uploading them to the cloud first.

According to Max Weinbach, these files will be allowed to be as large as 1 gigabyte, with a maximum daily transfer capacity of 2 gigabytes.

‘[Quick Share] is also the type of service that I’d imagine would be available on most older Samsung devices with a software update,’ Mr Weinbach speculated.

‘Though its roll-out would be entirely on Samsung,’ he added.

Quick Share — which is predicted will come with all devices launching with the One UI 2.1 and above — will also support cloud sharing to Samsung SmartThings devices

Quick Share — which is predicted will come with all devices launching with the One UI 2.1 and above — will also support cloud sharing to Samsung SmartThings devices

Quick Share — which is predicted will come with all devices launching with the One UI 2.1 and above — will also support cloud sharing to Samsung SmartThings devices

Samsung is not the only smartphone manufacturer to be working on — or have already succeeded in — following in Apple AirDrop’s footsteps.

‘Google is currently working on a feature called Nearby Sharing as part of the Google Play Services,’ Mr Weinbach wrote.

‘This could theoretically support every supported Android phone and ChromeOS.’ 

Chinese tech firms Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi also have cross-platform sharing features available on their devices. 



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