AirDrop is Apple’s, and for years it simply didn’t exist outside iPhones, iPads and Macs. Two things changed that. Since November 2025, some Android phones and Apple devices can share with each other through Quick Share and AirDrop, and Google offers Quick Share for Windows PCs. Here’s what works between which devices now, and what to use when nothing built in does.
What works between which devices
| From and to | Built in or official | Other options |
|---|---|---|
| Recent Android to iPhone, iPad or Mac | Quick Share to AirDrop, on supported phones | LocalSend on the same Wi-Fi |
| Android to Windows PC | Quick Share for Windows; Phone Link | LocalSend, PairDrop |
| iPhone to Windows PC | No AirDrop; Phone Link covers texts, calls and notifications | LocalSend, PairDrop, Blip |
| Devices on different networks | None for sending files | Blip, PairDrop pairing, KDE Connect over a VPN, fwd |
AirDrop on Android
Google launched AirDrop interoperability for Quick Share in November 2025 on the Pixel 10 series and has been extending it to more phones through 2026.[1] A June 2026 roundup lists recent Pixels, the Galaxy S24 to S26 families and recent Galaxy foldables on One UI 8.5, the OnePlus 15, and OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi and HONOR flagships.[2] Model lists vary by source and change as support rolls out, so the reliable test is whether Apple devices appear in your phone’s Quick Share menu.
The Apple device has to be visible to everyone: Everyone for 10 Minutes on iPhone and iPad, Everyone on a Mac. Contacts Only doesn’t work across platforms yet.[1][3]
Android and Windows
Quick Share for Windows is Google’s official app for sending files between an Android phone and a Windows PC. Google lists 64-bit Windows 10 or later, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and says it is meant for non-Samsung PCs; Samsung PCs have Samsung’s own Quick Share.[4]
Microsoft’s Phone Link also connects Android phones to Windows. For Android it covers texts, calls, notifications and recent photos, and it needs Android 10 or later with the phone and PC on the same Wi-Fi.[5]
iPhone and Windows
There’s no AirDrop for Windows. Phone Link supports iPhones on iOS 16 or later, and Microsoft lists texts, calls and notifications for iPhone.[5] File sharing between iPhone and Windows has been in testing with Windows Insiders since December 2024.[6] For files today, these free tools work:
- LocalSend has apps for iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux and Android and moves files over your local Wi-Fi, encrypted with HTTPS. Both devices need to be on the same network.[7]
- PairDrop runs in the browser with nothing to install. It sends peer to peer to devices on the same network, and you can pair devices with a 6-digit code or QR code so they find each other on any network; devices outside your local network that are behind NAT connect through PairDrop’s TURN relay server.[8]
- Blip has apps for iPhone, iPad, Windows, Mac, Linux and Android and sends files of any size over the internet, so the devices don’t need to share a network. It’s free for non-commercial use.[9]
When the devices aren’t in the same place
AirDrop, Quick Share and LocalSend are all built for devices near each other. If you want to send from your phone on cellular data to the computer at home, you need something that works over the internet:
- Blip, for large files and folders between your own devices or to other Blip users, signed in with your email.[9][10]
- PairDrop pairing or public rooms.[8] Transfers are live, so both browsers need to be open.
- KDE Connect, free and open source, which supports connecting over a VPN.[11]
- fwd (pronounced “forward”), which I’m building. It delivers through an end-to-end encrypted relay, so the other device doesn’t need to be online when you send.
Where fwd fits
fwd isn’t an AirDrop replacement for big files, and it doesn’t run on iPhone. It covers links, text and files up to 25 MB between your browser, Android phone and Mac, wherever each one is, with a searchable history.
- Where it runs: a Chrome extension that also loads in other Chromium browsers (so Windows, Mac and Linux desktops through Chrome), an app for Android 8.0 and later, and a menu bar app for macOS 14 and later that receives while the browser is closed, as long as it is running and the Mac is awake and online. There is no iPhone or iPad app.
- What it sends: links, text and files up to 25 MB, to one device or to all your other devices, whether or not they are on the same network. A device that is offline gets the push when it reconnects.
- History: sent and received pushes sync across your devices and are searchable on each one.
- Privacy: content, file names and device names are encrypted end to end. The service stores and relays only ciphertext, and sees operational metadata such as your email, which device sent to which and when, and item sizes. How the encryption works.
- Availability: a free private beta with up to 5 devices and 1 GB of account storage. Invitations haven’t started yet; there’s a waitlist.
If that matches how you share, join the waitlist.
Related guides
- How to transfer files from Android to Mac in 2026
- LocalSend alternatives for sharing beyond your Wi-Fi
- Snapdrop and PairDrop alternatives
- Intel Unison alternatives after the shutdown
- Pushbullet alternatives: a practical guide
Sources
Checked on October 11, 2026.
- AirDrop-Quick Share Interoperability Expanding to More Android Phones. MacRumors, February 11, 2026.
- These Android phones can use AirDrop with iPhone, Mac. 9to5Google, June 3, 2026.
- Use AirDrop to send items to nearby Apple devices (Mac User Guide). Apple Support.
- Quick Share app: Android to Windows PC file transfer. Google.
- Phone Link requirements and setup. Microsoft Support.
- Sharing files between your iPhone and Windows PC rolling out to Windows Insiders. Windows Insider Blog, December 11, 2024.
- LocalSend: Share files to nearby devices. LocalSend.
- schlagmichdoch/PairDrop. GitHub.
- Blip: The fastest way to send files. Blip Studio.
- After trying this free app, I’m never using AirDrop or Quick Share again. Pocket-lint, May 28, 2025.
- KDE Connect. KDE.