Google"s Quick Share (formerly known as Nearby Share) is Google"s response to Apple"s convenient AirDrop. When it first launched in August 2020, it was available only for Android devices. However, in 2023, Google expanded it by releasing the Nearby Share App for Windows.
Now, there are signs that Google might bring Nearby Share to iOS and macOS. Android Authority noticed a pull request in the Nearby GitHub repository that fixes a bug in Quick Share by using the device"s name if the user isn’t logged in or hasn’t set a name. This pull request included a code comment mentioning that for iOS and macOS devices, a localized device name works well for Quick Share.
This seems unnecessary since Quick Share isn’t available on iOS and macOS—unless Google is developing a version for those platforms that hasn’t been announced yet. It’s hard to know for sure because Quick Share is not open source; only parts of its backend are available on GitHub.
If Google does manage to bring Quick Share to iOS and macOS, it could be a game changer for users who want seamless file sharing without being tied to Apple’s ecosystem. Alternatives like LocalSend already work well for sharing files across devices on your Wi-Fi network, including Linux devices.
However, Google will need to encourage people to adopt Quick Share on iOS. Unlike on Android, where they have full control, there’s no equivalent to Google Play Services on Apple devices. If it’s released, it will likely be a standalone app. This could be a problem because iPhone users are used to smooth and easy everyday tasks, and they might not want to download another app just to receive a file from an Android device. Plus, the new OxygenOS 15 already has a feature to share with iOS, which might further discourage users from downloading another app.