Google, Samsung merge Android file sharing to combat Apple’s AirDrop

Google and Samsung have announced at CES 2024 they had combined their file sharing programmes into a single platform enabling users to exchange pictures and files across the Android ecosystem seamlessly.

This represents the joining of forces between Google and Samsung on the Android platform to combat Apple’s AirDrop.

In a blog, Google explained deployment of the Quick Share feature on devices currently using its Nearby Share function would begin next month.

Google launched Nearby Share in 2020, with Samsung reportedly releasing its Quick Share variant around the same time.

The combination of the programmes creates “the best default, built-in option for peer-to-peer content sharing across all types of devices in the Android and Chromebook ecosystems”, Google wrote.

“You remain in control of your privacy, and can choose in your phone’s settings who can discover your device and send files, whether it’s everyone, only your contacts or just your own devices,” Google explained.

Google announced it is working with PC manufacturers to expand Quick Share to Windows PCs as a pre-installed app.

It also announced updates to Android Auto.

In the coming months, electric vehicles compatible with Android Auto can share real-time battery information with Google Maps. The feature will be inaugurated on Ford Mustang Mach-E cars and F-150 Lightning pickups.

Google stated the updates would make driving an electric vehicle easier by providing users with estimated battery levels upon arrival at their destinations.

It will also flag the location of charging stations and provide an estimate of how long repowering will take based on the vehicle.