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Can you AirDrop to Android?

Yes, on a growing list of Android phones. Since November 2025, Google's Quick Share can send files to an iPhone's AirDrop and receive them back, first on the Pixel 10 and now on recent Galaxy, OnePlus, OPPO, HONOR, vivo and Xiaomi phones. Older and cheaper phones mostly still can't. If yours is one of them, LocalSend or Google's QR code option will still get a photo across.

Jordan Gibbs September 25, 2026 6 min read

Can you AirDrop to Android?

Yes, if you have a supported phone. Google built AirDrop support into Quick Share, the sharing button already on Android. A Pixel 10 or a Galaxy S26 shows up in an iPhone’s AirDrop list, and the iPhone shows up in Quick Share. The catch is that the iPhone has to be set to Everyone for 10 Minutes. Contacts Only doesn’t work.

Which Android phones work with AirDrop?

This is the list as of September 25, 2026, taken from Google’s Quick Share with iPhone page and the June roundups from MacRumors and Android Authority. It changes every few months, so check Google’s page if your phone isn’t here.

  • Google Pixel: Pixel 10 series (since November 2025), Pixel 9 series and Pixel 8a.
  • Samsung Galaxy: S26 series (from March 23, 2026), then the S25 series (including the S25 Edge), S24 series, Z Fold7, Z Flip7, Z Fold6, Z Flip6 and Z TriFold. They need One UI 8.5.
  • OnePlus: OnePlus 15.
  • OPPO: Find X9 series and Find N6.
  • HONOR: Magic V6.
  • vivo: X300 Ultra.
  • Xiaomi: 17T Pro.

Google has said the Motorola razr fold 2026, the OPPO Find X8 series and the HONOR Magic8 Pro come next. In early September, Android Headlinesreported some Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 owners getting a notice about it too. Google hasn’t announced that, and some of those owners said sharing didn’t work yet.

The Pixel 8a and Pixel 9a are half in. Google’s Quick Share help page says they can send to an iPhone. To receive from one, it asks for a Pixel 9 or later and leaves out the 9a.

On the Apple side, Samsung’s support page lists an iPhone 8 or later, a 5th generation iPad or later, and a MacBook from 2020 or later. Macs and iPads work the same way as the iPhone steps below.

How to AirDrop from Android to an iPhone

Both phones need Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on and should be close together, with their screens unlocked.

  • 1. On the iPhone, open AirDrop to everyone.Open Control Center, touch and hold the box with the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons, tap AirDrop, then tap Everyone for 10 Minutes. You can also do it from Settings > General > AirDrop.
  • 2. On a Galaxy, check one setting.Go to Settings > Connected devices > Quick Share and make sure Share with Apple devices is on. Samsung saysit’s on by default. Pixels don’t have this switch.
  • 3. Share the file. Open the photo, video or file on the Android phone. Tap Share, then Quick Share.
  • 4. Pick the iPhone from the list of nearby devices.
  • 5. Accept on the iPhone. An AirDrop notice pops up there. Tap Accept and the file goes to Photos or Files, the same as any AirDrop.

The iPhone doesn’t stay open to everyone. On iOS 16.2 and later, Apple’s AirDrop page says it switches back to Contacts Only after ten minutes. If you’re sending a batch later in the day, you’ll have to set it again.

How to receive AirDrop on Android

This direction flips which phone has to be visible. Now it’s the Android phone.

  • 1. Make the Android phone visible.On a Galaxy, go to Settings > Connected devices > Quick Share > Who can share with you, and pick Everyone (10 minutes only). On a Pixel, set Quick Share to Everyone for 10 minutes, or open the Quick Share page and leave it on Receive.
  • 2. On the iPhone, tap Share, then AirDrop.
  • 3. Tap the Android phone when it appears in the list.
  • 4. Tap Accept on the Android phone.

Received files go to the Files app, under Downloads > Quick Share. If the iPhone can’t find your phone, Google’s troubleshooting list says to hold the two within 1 foot (30 cm) of each other. If that fails, turn Airplane mode on and off.

What still doesn’t work?

Contacts Only is the big one. Both phones have to use the Everyone setting, which means anyone nearby can see your phone for those ten minutes. Google’s security postfrom launch day says it would “welcome the opportunity to work with Apple” to add Contacts Only. It still wasn’t there when 9to5Google updated its list in June.

Most Android phones are still left out. The list above is almost all flagships from the last two years. Galaxy A phones aren’t on it.

It can also be slow. Samsung warns that sending to Apple devices “may be slower” than Galaxy to Galaxy, and both Samsung and Google say your Wi-Fi may drop while the Quick Share page is open. It comes back when you leave the page.

Last, Apple had no part in this. 9to5Googlereported that Google built it on its own, with no deal with Apple. If Apple changes how AirDrop works, we’d expect it to break until Google catches up. So keep one of the fallbacks below on your phone.

What if your phone isn’t on the list?

Try the Quick Share QR code

Google added a second way to send to Apple devices that works without AirDrop support. On the Quick Share page, tap Use QR code. The iPhone scans it with the Camera app and opens a Google web page, and the download starts on its own. Per Google’s help page, the files are end-to-end encrypted and stay up for 24 hours. You can send up to 10 GB a day, and both phones need internet. It only goes one way, from Android to Apple. If your Quick Share doesn’t have the button yet, it may still be rolling out to your phone.

Use LocalSend

LocalSendis a free, open source app for Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac and Linux. It goes back to Android 5.0, so it covers almost any phone. Install it on both, get on the same Wi-Fi, and tap the other device. It works in both directions. There’s no account, and a long video goes across at the speed of your Wi-Fi. If your phone isn’t on the list, this is the one we’d install. It won’t work on networks that block devices from seeing each other, which is common on office and hotel Wi-Fi. We go through it in more detail in AirDrop for Windows. To see how it compares with KDE Connect and Quick Share, read LocalSend vs KDE Connect vs Quick Share.

Send a link

For a few photos, upload them to Google Photos, Google Drive or iCloud and send the share link in a text. It’s slower than AirDrop but works on any phone. For a single web link, a text message is already the fastest route. Our guide on how to AirDrop a link covers the Apple-only version.

For text, links and small files every day

This is where our app, Relic, fits. It syncs what you copy and share across Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac and Linux. On either phone you tap Share and pick Relic, and the text, link or screenshot shows up on your other devices. The phones don’t need to be near each other. It’s the wrong tool for a whole camera roll. The free plan caps each item at 10 MB. For more ways to move things between a phone and a computer, see how to copy and paste between your phone and computer.

Can you AirDrop from Android to a PC?

No, because Windows has no AirDrop at all. Google does make a Quick Share app for Windows, though, so an Android phone can send to a PC directly. We cover it, and what it means for iPhone owners, in Quick Share on Windows and iPhone.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Samsung phone receive AirDrop?

Yes, if it's a Galaxy S24, S25 or S26 phone, a Z Fold6, Z Flip6, Z Fold7 or Z Flip7, or the Z TriFold, on One UI 8.5. In Quick Share settings, set Who can share with you to Everyone (10 minutes only). Then the iPhone can pick your Galaxy in its AirDrop list. Galaxy A phones aren't on the list as of September 2026.

Do you need an internet connection to AirDrop to Android?

No. The transfer goes straight from one phone to the other over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, so both need to be switched on, but neither needs to be online. The QR code option is different. It uploads the files to Google's servers, so both phones need internet for that one.

Why can't my iPhone see my Android phone in AirDrop?

Usually one side isn't set to be seen by everyone. The iPhone's AirDrop drops back from Everyone for 10 Minutes to Contacts Only after ten minutes, and Contacts Only doesn't work with Android. Set it again, keep both screens unlocked, and hold the phones close together. On a Galaxy, also check that Share with Apple devices is on.

Is it safe to AirDrop between Android and iPhone?

Google says files go directly between the two phones and are never routed through a server. An outside security firm, NetSPI, tested it before launch. The bigger risk is the Everyone setting itself, because strangers nearby can send you things while it's on. Decline anything you didn't expect.

Sources

Written by
Jordan GibbsFounder, Relic

Jordan Gibbs is the founder of Relic, an end-to-end encrypted, permanent, searchable memory for everything you copy. He writes widely about AI, agents, and practical tooling on Medium, where he is read by tens of thousands, and builds privacy-first software. Here he covers how everyday tools like the clipboard actually work, and how to use them without handing your data to someone else.

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