It took Google over a decade, but Quick Share has finally become a viable alternative to AirDrop in the Android ecosystem. The recent AirDrop compatibility only makes the feature even better. Now, taking a cue from AirDrop improvements that Apple introduced in iOS 17 in 2024, Google plans to add NFC-based file sharing support to Quick Share.
In November 2025, a report detailed that Google was working on NFC integration for Quick Share, enabling contact sharing between devices with a simple tap. Apple added a similar feature to iPhones with iOS 17, dubbed NameDrop. Apple allows file sharing with a similar gesture.
Android Authority has found evidence that points to Google working on a tap-based NFC file transfer system over Quick Share. Strings related to the “TapToShare” gesture are present in the latest Android 17 beta and Canary builds.
That’s not it, though. Samsung is also working on integrating this feature into One UI 9, which will be based on Android 17. A leaked build of the skin contains a “Tap to share” feature, which is described as “Just hold the top of your phone close to the device, and the files will be sent.”
Google has previously partnered with Samsung on major Quick Share updates, and it may be working with the company again on this one.
Google is reviving a forgotten Android feature
Ironically, NFC-based Tap to Share for file sharing is not a new feature itself. In the early days of Android, a popular third-party app, Bump, added similar functionality to Android phones. The startup was acquired by Google in 2013, eventually leading to the app’s shutdown in January 2014.
Back then, Bump relied on Bluetooth for file sharing, making large file transfers painfully slow. With Quick Share using Wi-Fi Direct, the entire process is noticeably faster, enabling the transfer of gigabytes of data within seconds. This should make Tap to Share more useful and usable in daily life.
It will also help eliminate some of the friction in Quick Share’s current workflow, where users often need to toggle device visibility and wait for nearby devices to appear.
Google could officially announce this new Quick Share upgrade with the public release of Android 17 in a few months from now. The feature may initially be exclusive to Pixels and Samsung phones before expanding to more Android devices.
