Google just made Android to iPhone file sharing far less painful

If you’re one of the few Android users in your circle of friends and family, good news – Google has announced some updates that are designed to make Android to iPhone file sharing and phone switching work more smoothly.

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The biggest change revolves around Quick Share, Android’s equivalent of AirDrop. Google says that Android users will now be able to generate QR codes that let iPhones download shared files via the cloud, even if the receiving device doesn’t support native Quick Share compatibility. The QR code sharing feature starts rolling out today across Android devices and should be fully available within the next month.

If you’ve ever tried sending holiday videos between a family group split between Android and iPhone users, you’ll know exactly why this matters. Cross-platform sharing has traditionally involved a depressing mix of WhatsApp compression, random cloud links, or someone eventually giving up and emailing themselves a ZIP file like it’s 2009. I’ve certainly been there before.

Google is also expanding Quick Share support to more Android brands this year, including Samsung, OPPO, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor devices. And yes, Google confirmed it worked with Apple on some of the changes required under Europe’s Digital Markets Act.

Elsewhere, it’ll also be easier to move from iPhone to Android without tearing your hair out – Google’s upcoming transfer tools will wirelessly move passwords, photos, messages, contacts, supported apps, eSIMs, and even Home Screen layouts from an iPhone onto a new Android device. The upgraded migration process is launching first on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel devices later this year.

Google also announced that end-to-end encryption support for RCS chats across Android and iOS is on the way, which should help make cross-platform messaging slightly less chaotic, and more private.

Specific launch timings for most of the above remain a mystery, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for when they land, so watch this space.

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Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.