What you need to know
- Google is preparing to expand Quick Share and AirDrop interoperability beyond Pixel 10 to the Pixel 9 series.
- The feature was spotted in an Android Canary build, with Pixel 9 and 9 Pro firmware now including cross-sharing files.
- Although present in firmware, the feature is not active yet and may roll out via Android 16 QPR3 or Android 17.
Google has so far kept Quick Share interoperability with Apple‘s AirDrop exclusive to the Pixel 10 series, but it looks like the feature is now on its way to the Pixel 9 lineup.
Back in late 2025, Google announced that Quick Share would work with Apple’s AirDrop. This allowed users to send and receive files between an iPhone and a Pixel 10 device using Android 16‘s native Quick Share feature without any workarounds. After keeping the feature exclusive to the Pixel 10 series for over a month, Google now seems to be expanding support to the Pixel 9 series.
Pixel 9 looks next in line for AirDrop support
Google released a new Android Canary build on January 8, 2026. While the update does not introduce many user-facing features, it adds the same system files that enabled Quick Share and AirDrop cross-sharing on the Pixel 10 series to the Pixel 9 firmware.
The change was first spotted by Android Authority, which reports that these files are not present on the mid-range Pixel 9a and are limited to the Pixel 9 and higher-end Pixel 9 Pro models.
The files are also missing from older Pixel models like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 7 series. That does not necessarily mean those devices will never receive AirDrop and Quick Share interoperability, but it suggests Google is not ready to enable the feature on them just yet. Google has previously stated that support for older Pixel phones will arrive at a later date.
For now, the feature does not actually work on the Pixel 9 series despite the files being present, indicating Google still needs to enable the functionality on its end. It is possible the company is targeting a future Android 16 QPR3 update, or it could delay the feature until Android 17. We will share more details as they become available.
