The feature announced

Alongside rolling out new devices at its annual Made by Google event, Google announced an expansion of Quick Share: two phones can now be tapped together to send files or information. Android users get a new way to share contact information, files, media and more.

Long-term Android users will remember a predecessor: Android Beam, which debuted in 2011 but only stuck around for about six years. Essentially the Android version of Apple's AirDrop, that approach now returns in a modern form. Although the feature is part of the existing Quick Share infrastructure, it is a lot quicker and simpler than the current method; in exchange it requires devices to be within touching distance rather than working across a room over Bluetooth.

How it works

The steps for sharing contact information are:

  • Both devices must have Quick Share and NFC enabled.
  • Overlap the top of both phones with their screens up; both must be unlocked.
  • Keep the phones together until they light up.
  • Choose which contact information fields to share; you can also choose to just receive the other person's information.
  • Save the received contact card to your contacts. To cancel, separate the devices.

The flow for files, photos, videos and links is similar: open the Quick Share page, choose the content to send, then overlap the phones the same way and hold them together until they light up.

Practical details

Google notes that thick phone cases may inhibit the process; if a transfer cannot be sent or received, you may need to remove the phone from its case. Content received via tap to share collects in a dedicated Quick Share folder, reachable by opening the Files app and tapping Downloads.

Which devices get it

The rollout has started on Pixel devices running Android 17 and higher, covering the Pixel 6 and newer. Samsung devices come next: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, the 8 Ultra, the Fold 8 and the Flip 8 lead. Google says tap to share will expand to more Android devices by the end of 2026.

Why it matters

This is not a large technological leap on its own, but it is the kind of improvement felt in everyday use. Sharing a file or contact details on Android has for years involved picking a device, waiting for a match and confirming. Moving to touching distance removes most of those steps: the question of which device to send to is answered by physical proximity.

That the feature is built on the Quick Share infrastructure is also meaningful. Rather than introducing a new sharing system, Google is changing how the existing one is triggered, which makes for broader compatibility. Even so, a rollout that starts with Pixel, continues with Samsung and stretches to the end of the year shows once again how long it takes for a feature to reach everyone across the Android ecosystem.

There is also a security angle. A sharing method that requires touching distance effectively removes the chance of sending to the wrong device; with proximity-based methods over Bluetooth that had been a persistent problem, both for confusion and for unwanted content being sent. Requiring both devices to be unlocked and letting the shared fields be picked individually point the same way: whoever starts the transfer and whoever accepts it both have to be physically present.