Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
Google just made a shocking announcement: Android’s Quick Share now works with Apple AirDrop. For many years, Apple users have complained that they can’t easily AirDrop files to their Android friends, pressuring Android users into buying iPhones. So for Google to come out and say they’re rolling out an update that makes Quick Share compatible with AirDrop is huge news.
Amidst today’s news blitz, there was nary a peep from Apple about its role in making AirDrop compatible with Quick Share. You would think that such a big interoperability play would involve Apple. After all, Google and Apple worked in tandem to bring RCS messaging and unknown tracker alerts to both Android and iOS. However, it seems that Apple had no interest in helping Google make Quick Share compatible with AirDrop.
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Immediately after Google made its announcement, we reached out to our PR contacts at the company to find out whether Apple had any part in this launch. A spokesperson for the company sent us the following statement in response:
“Our goal is to provide an easy and secure file sharing experience for our users, regardless of who they are communicating with. Like with RCS and unknown tracker alerts, we always welcome collaboration opportunities to address interoperability issues between iOS and Android.” – Google spokesperson
Reading between the lines, Google is basically saying it built AirDrop compatibility into Quick Share all on its own. Exactly how it did that is still unknown, but we’ve known for a while that Google has been working to bring iOS and macOS compatibility into Nearby, the underlying communications library that powers Quick Share. Perhaps Google did a clean room reversal of AirDrop’s underlying technology, allowing it to safely add compatibility into Quick Share.
Although AirDrop’s underlying technology, AWDL, is proprietary, it’s still based on open standards like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct, so it’s theoretically possible for non-Apple devices to support it. Legally doing so, and in a way that won’t make Apple break it, is another story entirely. We’re interested in seeing how Apple reacts to this news and are hoping it doesn’t break compatibility. We’ll keep you updated on what happens.
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