Pixel 9 Users Can Now AirDrop Files from Android to iPhone

Google has just announced the expansion of Quick Share compatibility with Apple’s AirDrop to the Pixel 9 series and the new Pixel 10a, allowing direct file transfers between Android and iPhone.

For a long time, the biggest headache for people who use both Android and Apple devices was moving a simple photo from one to the other. Google says its Quick Share feature is now compatible with Apple AirDrop for even more devices. While this was originally a feature for the Pixel 10, it is now rolling out to the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

During a recent briefing, Eric Kay, who is the Vice President of Engineering for the Android platform, spoke about the future of this technology. “Last year, we launched AirDrop interoperability. In 2026, we’re going to be expanding it to a lot more devices,” Kay said.

Google explains the technical side clearly: “This feature does not use a workaround; the connection is direct and peer-to-peer, meaning your data is never routed through a server, shared content is never logged, and no extra data is shared.”

To get this working, an iPhone user needs to set their AirDrop visibility to “Everyone for 10 minutes” in their settings. Once that is done, the Pixel user can simply select a photo, tap the share icon, and choose Quick Share. The iPhone will show up in the list just like another Android phone would. On the iPhone side, a standard AirDrop notification appears. If you accept the file, it goes straight to your Photos app or your Files folder.

One interesting detail in this update is how Google is matching Apple’s security habits. Google has removed the “Always On” option for sharing with everyone. Now, both systems use a 10 minute limit for public sharing.