Android users to now transfer files with new Google ‘Tap-to-Share’ features in all devices
Google is about to unveil a new file-sharing feature that will allow Android users transfer files by simply bringing two phones close together. The Android new ‘Tap to Share’ is an in-built feature into Quick Share that uses near-field communication (NFC), which enables file transfer from one phone to another once the devices connect.
Quick Share handles the file exchange in the background when two devices are brought together. The feature has appeared across Samsung’s One UI 9, Google Play Services, and early versions of Android 17, a spread that shows it is being built as a core Android function and not a limited add-on.
Samsung first tested the idea in 2025 through an experimental setting in One UI 8.5. At the time, it appeared like a closed test, but now, in newer builds, the feature appears more complete, carrying an instruction: “Just hold the top of your phone close to the device, and the files will be sent.”
At the same time, Google has been working on a related system inside Google Play Services. Earlier versions focused on sharing contact details by bringing two devices together. Internally, that system was called “Gesture Exchange.” Now, both systems appear linked. References inside Quick Share imply the same trigger can start file transfers, not just contact sharing.
In essence, NFC acts as the signal while Quick Share moves the files. Google has also confirmed that Quick Share will expand across the full Android ecosystem in 2026, meaning that the feature will not be limited to Pixel or Samsung devices, but to work across different brands.
This global rollout could remove the gap between Android and Apple. Apple introduced AirDrop in 2011, making it easy to share files between iPhones and Macs. In 2024, it added NameDrop, which allows users to share contacts by tapping devices together.
