Historic change: Samsung Galaxy S26 is receiving AirDrop support in US, Europe, India

Samsung is officially bridging the gap between Android and iOS, bringing the two mobile platforms closer together. Within Bluetooth and Wi-Fi range, that is.

Following a rollout in South Korea, Samsung is now seeding the major "AirDrop" software update (build AZCF) to Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra users in Europe, India and the United States (as of the most recent reports). The update, which weighs roughly 900 MB, finally brings native AirDrop support to Samsung’s Quick Share.

This new feature allows Galaxy users to share files directly with iPhones, iPads, and Macs without needing third-party apps. While the feature first appeared on the Pixel 10 (courtesy of Google’s push to make AirDrop cross-compatible), Samsung is the latest to adopt the new standard.

To get “AirDrop” working with your Samsung phone via Quick Share:

• Enable the toggle: Go to Quick Share settings and turn on "Share with Apple devices."
• Apple Settings: The receiving Apple device must have AirDrop set to "Everyone" to be discoverable.
• Requirements: Ensure Google Play Services (v26.11.33+) and the Quick Share app (v13.8.51.30+) are up to date.
• AirDrop uses both Bluetooth (to locate devices) and Wi-Fi (to create the "bridge" for the file transfer), so you might want to leave them on

While currently exclusive to the S26 series, Samsung plans to expand support to more devices, likely with the upcoming One UI 8.5 update.

It’s worth noting that Apple hasn't officially commented on the “AirDrop on Android” topic, as the feature appears to be a reverse-engineered solution rather than a formal partnership. At least as far as we know from what is shared publicly. However, the lack of a block suggests Apple may be moving toward opening the walled garden gates to satisfy increasing regulatory pressure from the European Commission.