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Google's Nearby Share becomes Quick Share and thus possibly part of the Samsung AirDrop alternative

Google is renaming Nearby Share to Quick Share, possibly becoming part of Samsung's Quick Share. (Image: Samsung)
Google is renaming Nearby Share to Quick Share, possibly becoming part of Samsung's Quick Share. (Image: Samsung)
While Apple has AirDrop, a service for sharing data between users of Apple devices, the situation in the Android ecosystem is more complex. In addition to Google's Nearby Share, there is Samsung's Quick Share as well as the cooperation of a number of Chinese smartphone manufacturers in the Mutual Transfer Alliance. At present, the prospect that Android will soon have a more universal standard for data exchange is looking good.
Android Smartphone Software

What AirDrop is for iPhone, iPad and Mac users is available in many forms on Android and Windows. On a Samsung smartphone, for example, users have the choice between Google's Nearby Share, which has become part of Android in recent months and is also available for Windows PCs, and Quick Share, Samsung's proprietary data transfer utility for sharing between Galaxy phones, tablets and notebooks. In China, on the other hand, a number of well-known smartphone manufacturers have come together to form the Mutual Transfer Alliance (MTA), meaning that owners of a Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Meizu, ZTE, Realme or Asus phone can also conveniently exchange data with each other.

The latest development, which Kamila Wojciechowska was the first to discover, is exciting. As part of the latest Google Mobile Services update (23.50.13), Nearby Share appears to have been renamed Quick Share, a change that has not yet been officially declared by Google and is currently not being rolled out widely. However, the rebranding of Google's Nearby Share seems to be permeating all discussions surrounding file sharing after the update and suggests that Google and Samsung plan to unite their two previously incompatible data exchange methods in the future or at least make them compatible.

Google appears to be renaming Nearby Share to Quick Share. (Image via @Za_Raczke)
Google appears to be renaming Nearby Share to Quick Share. (Image via @Za_Raczke)
Google appears to be renaming Nearby Share to Quick Share. (Image via @Za_Raczke)
Google appears to be renaming Nearby Share to Quick Share. (Image via @Za_Raczke)

Will there be a standardized transfer protocol for all Android phones in the future?

In the run-up to CES 2024 and the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event in January, it is not unlikely that Samsung and Google will soon make an official statement on this surprising change. To date, a merger of Nearby Share and Quick Share is still speculation. There is also speculation that the aforementioned Mutual Transfer Alliance of the largest Chinese manufacturers may become compatible with Quick Share, especially since Samsung has also been a member since 2021. At any rate, the chances that a uniform data transfer standard will soon be established under Android, similarly to AirDrop, look good.

Samsung is already part of the MTU. (Image via Ice Universe)
Samsung is already part of the MTU. (Image via Ice Universe)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 12 > Google's Nearby Share becomes Quick Share and thus possibly part of the Samsung AirDrop alternative
Alexander Fagot, 2023-12-22 (Update: 2023-12-22)