Google Launches Unauthorized Pixel-to-iPhone File Sharing With Apple’s AirDrop

(Bloomberg) — Alphabet Inc.’s Google said it has developed a way for its latest Pixel smartphones to exchange images and other files with iPhones using Apple Inc.’s AirDrop protocol, a bold attempt to undermine the exclusivity of its rival’s closely guarded ecosystem.

AirDrop, which has been around for over a decade, is built into Apple’s software platforms, allowing for fast, wireless file transfers between iPhones, iPads and Macs. Google has a similar feature for Android called Quick Share.

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“When it comes to sharing moments between family and friends, what device you have shouldn’t matter — sharing should just work,” Google said in a surprise announcement on Thursday. Apple had no part in the feature’s development, a Google spokesperson said in response to a Bloomberg News inquiry.

“We accomplished this through our own implementation,” the spokesperson said, adding that Google engaged a third-party security firm and that the setup was “thoroughly vetted by our own privacy and security teams.”

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“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,” wrote Dave Kleidermacher, vice president of platforms security and privacy at Google, in a separate blog post.

To receive files from friends and family using Android phones, iPhone users must configure their AirDrop settings to show them as a recipient to “everyone for 10 minutes.” Like any regular AirDrop transfer, users can accept or deny an incoming request based on the name of the sender that appears on their screen. For the time being, a device from Google’s recently released Pixel 10 line is required, and the feature is still gradually rolling out.

In a few early tests, sending images back and forth between a Pixel 10 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max worked as advertised. The Pixel was also able to send files to a nearby Mac. As a privacy measure, AirDrop resets back to receiving from “contacts only” each time the 10 minute limit expires. So just make sure it’s set to “everyone for 10 minutes” each time to send and receive files from a Pixel 10.

Google is framing its new solution as another win for consumers, letting them conveniently share media regardless of operating system. It likens this to the rise of RCS, or rich communication services, which has made it easier for iPhone and Android users to text and share high-quality photos and videos. Apple implemented the standard last year, following pressure from regulators.

Past efforts to replicate Apple’s signature iPhone features have not gone over well with the company. In 2023, a messaging app called Beeper tried to bring iMessage support to Android, but Apple quickly thwarted the attempt. Beeper is now owned by Automattic Inc., which has avoided relitigating the public spat. And back when Palm Inc. was still in the smartphone business, it sought to make its Palm Pre compatible with syncing over iTunes. That work-around was also shut down.

(Updated with hands-on impressions in the eighth paragraph.)

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