Android could soon get a tap-to-share function that is very similar to Apple’s AirDrop. According to several independent code analyses, Google and Samsung are working together on a way to transfer files simply by holding two smartphones together – without any menus, confirmations or manual searches for nearby devices.
Hints in One UI 9, Google Play Services and Android 17
The first traces of the function appeared in September 2025 in Samsung’s One UI 8.5, where it was hidden as an experimental feature in the Labs area. In the meantime, the clues have become clearer: In One UI 9, there is a dedicated “Tap to Share” feature with the description that you should simply hold the top of the smartphone close to another device to send files.
At the same time, developers found a function called “Gesture Exchange” in Google Play Services, which was originally intended for exchanging contact information – similar to Apple’s NameDrop. The same name now also appears in Samsung’s Quick Share app, which suggests that the contact sharing function is being expanded into a fully-fledged file transfer system.
Even more interesting: A system-level service called “TapToShare” was discovered in the beta and Canary builds of Android 17. This is apparently designed as a basic system service – comparable to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi – and uses Google Play Services as its basis. This means that the function should not be limited to Samsung devices, but could work on Android smartphones from all manufacturers.
How Tap to Share should work
The basic principle is simple: a connection is first established between two devices via NFC, then Quick Share takes over the actual file transfer via faster protocols such as Wi-Fi Direct or Bluetooth. All the user has to do is briefly hold two smartphones together – similar to the old Android Beam, which Google discontinued a few years ago.
Tap to Share is intended to complement the existing Quick Share infrastructure. Quick Share already enables wireless file transfers between Android devices and – since the Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10 – cross-platform sharing with Apple devices via AirDrop. However, it is still unclear whether the new NFC-based tap-to-share function will also be compatible with iPhones.
Broad rollout with Android 17 expected
As the tap-to-share function is anchored both in Google Play Services and at system level in Android 17, it is likely to become available on a large number of Android devices from various manufacturers in the long term. Google is expected to officially announce the feature as part of the stable Android 17 release – possibly as early as Google I/O in May. Samsung devices with One UI 9 could be among the first to receive the feature.
Important to note: The findings to date come from code analyses (so-called APK teardowns). It is therefore not guaranteed that the function will appear in exactly this form. However, the indications are unusually numerous and consistently distributed across several platforms, so that a release in the course of 2026 is considered likely.
