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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Samsung is rolling out AirDrop capability to older phone models.
• It can be tested via the OneUI 8.5 beta, available now for free.
• It will officially roll out at a later time, likely this summer.

After Samsung announced in March that the Galaxy S26 series of phones would gain Quick Share capabilities to Apple devices -- effectively letting you AirDrop to iPhones, Macs, and iPads -- the company has confirmed that more devices will gain support with the latest OneUI beta.

This is a very big deal because, previously, the options to share data between iOS and Android were not great. You could text a file, email it, or, if you're me, use Google Photos links, which work super well with my mom, except it really, really doesn't.

Also: How to AirDrop on Android to iPhone

All this is not nearly as easy as AirDrop. It requires the receiving phone to be set to "Everyone for 10 minutes," and then it works... most of the time. It would be best if we could all just wave our phones at each other and transfer data like you can from iPhone to iPhone, but we'll take what we can get.

Until now, this capability has been limited to Google Pixel phones and the latest Samsung flagships, but this latest announcement expands to models as old as the Galaxy S24 series.

Supported models

Samsung has shared the list of devices compatible with the new Quick Share feature:

• Galaxy S25
• Galaxy S25 Plus
• Galaxy S25 Ultra
• Galaxy Z Fold 7
• Galaxy Z Flip 7
• Galaxy S24
• Galaxy S24 Plus
• Galaxy S24 Ultra
• Galaxy Z Fold 6
• Galaxy Z Flip 6

Notably, the Galaxy S25 FE and S24 FE are not on the list, nor are the older Galaxy S23 series. Still, it's good to see Samsung bringing a useful software feature to its foldable models.

How to enroll in OneUI 8.5 beta

In order to gain early access to features like the enhanced Quick Share, you'll have to enroll in Samsung's OneUI 8.5 beta. 

Like any beta version of software, you should download it understanding that there are performance and functionality risks, such as occasional app crashes, stuttering, and, in the worst case, lost data. Therefore, it's always best to back up your phone before downloading any in-development software.

Also: How to share your location on Android: 5 quick and easy ways

To enroll, go to the Samsung Members app, scroll down to the Beta Program section, tap on Join, and follow the steps to proceed. Ideally, your phone should have at least 50% battery, as the download and update process may require a substantial amount of power.

Democratizing file sharing

This is pretty huge for the industry because, beyond Apple, Samsung takes up the lion's share of the smartphone market in the US and abroad. So, bringing AirDrop compatibility via Quick Share is a massive way to increase adoption and awareness of the utility. 

Of course, the rollout will be limited to people who have the S26 series initially, so that's not quite as exciting, but Samsung compatibility will give this movement legs.

Plus, this is great news for those who use MacBooks along with Galaxy smartphones, which is not as small an audience as you might think. The current file transfer method from Android to a MacBook uses an app called "Android File Transfer," which is not a good app. "Quirky" would be a good way to describe its behavior. It's largely why I usually rely on Google Photos or Google Drive to move files between devices.

Also: I tested Gemini on Android Auto and now I can't stop talking to it: 5 tasks it nails

In related news, Oppo recently announced that it would open up the same capability. Meanwhile, Honor demonstrated its ability to transfer files between Honor phones and Apple devices. It was one of the ways Apple influenced MWC without showing up. There is clearly a demand for this to happen. It turns out that Google rolling this out for Pixels was just the opening act.

Great first steps

Once this spreads to all Android phones, it will enable easier file sharing between devices regardless of platform. Adding this capability to a massive ecosystem like Galaxy will help those seeds take root among the smartphone-toting populace, bringing us one step closer to being platform agnostic -- at least from a file-sharing standpoint.

Of course, this might be better if Google and Apple could work together to make the integration more seamless. So far, Apple has been silent on this capability, though it has allowed it to exist for this long, so perhaps that points to a more cooperative future.