Samsung Brings Native AirDrop Support to Galaxy S26 Devices
Samsung is rolling out native AirDrop support for its Galaxy S26 series, making it the second Android brand to offer direct file sharing with Apple devices.
How It Works
Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra owners can now share files effortlessly with Apple devices over a fast wireless connection. The feature is activated through Settings > Connected devices > Quick Share > Share with Apple devices. Both devices need to have their sharing settings set to "Everyone" mode for transfers to work.
Rollout Schedule
- Korea: Available starting today
- United States: Sometime this week
- Other regions: Coming later, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan
- More Galaxy devices: Support will expand to additional models at a later date
Android's AirDrop Journey
Samsung becomes the second Android smartphone brand to offer native AirDrop support, after Google developed its own interoperability solution for AirDrop last year — without Apple's involvement. Google's version came to the Pixel 10 series in November 2025 and the Pixel 9 series in February 2026.
Meanwhile, Android Authority has found references in Android 17 beta builds to an expanded AirDrop-like system called "Tap to share" that uses NFC for file transfers between phones brought close together. This could potentially bring the feature to all Android devices at the OS level.
Why This Matters
AirDrop has long been one of Apple's most compelling ecosystem features, creating a walled garden that made switching to Android feel inconvenient. With Samsung and Google now supporting it natively, one of Apple's key competitive moats is being eroded — good news for consumers regardless of which ecosystem they choose.