What you need to know
- Another report regarding Google’s rumored “Tap to Share” feature surfaced, showcasing a revamped sharing menu, which adheres to Android 16’s design.
- Details also state the feature will inform users to “overlap” their devices for the transfer.
- Rumors about this feature started late last year, suggesting Android phones could display a glow during this transfer to signify its completion.
Supposed details about Google’s take on Apple‘s NameDrop (or AirDrop) continue to surface, as a new report alleges its user interface.
Alongside AssembleDebug, Android Authority shared what could be the UI for Android’s “Tap to Share” feature, which would take on Apple’s NameDrop. Immediately, the tipster states Google has apparently changed the sharing screen when “tapping” your device on another phone. The sub-menu that’s been spotted now is quite plain; there are three options with boxes, meaning users can select or deselect what they’re sharing.
AssembleDebug’s screenshot suggests we will be able to share our personal picture (profile icon, most likely), phone number, and email address. This final option, regarding your email, is also listed under “Home.” That could indicate the sharing of your address, but it’s not evident in the screenshot provided. Elsewhere, the tipster also discovered how Google will present and explain how Tap to Share works.
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It might sound similar to tapping to pay with NFC, and in fact, it is. Google’s early explainer shows an illustration of one user “tapping” by placing their phone over the other person’s device. The post says users would need to “overlap” their phones, and the running theory is that this is to account for “different NFC chip placements on Android phones.” If you think of Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series, those phones have two antennas: one along the top edge and another lower-middle.
Google’s purported explainer says users will need to keep their phones overlapped “until they glow.”
Sharing is caring
This “until they glow” is the perfect segue into what was discovered late last year about this feature. Of course, we can’t forget the initial report (mostly code) that suggested Google was at least thinking about an Apple NameDrop alternative for Android. What came out after was the alleged animation that would encompass Android phones once the hand-off was completed. It was said that your phone could show a creamsicle-esque color along the top edge of your screen, curling down toward the sides.
The running theory was that this would display, and then the contact details received would appear right after. NFC was speculated to play a heavy role in this transaction; however, that might only be temporary. Suggestions thereafter think that Wi-Fi or Bluetooth could take over afterward. That initial report from November talked about the tiny sub-menu, which has been slightly modified in this latest leak. It’s much more Android 16 with the rounded corners and such.
It’s still up in the air as to when Google could roll this out, but the next major OS looks promising (don’t hold your breath).
Android Central’s Take
In the interest of making something easy, it’s probably a no-brainer that Google would try to work on a NameDrop of its own. Long gone are the days of asking for someone’s number and typing it as they speak. You would tap or “overlap” your phones. Done. It’s a straightforward feature that would sit alongside Google’s Calling Cards in Contacts. Hopefully, this rolls out soon.
