| Quick Share | |
|---|---|
 Logo used since January 2024 | |
 Quick Share running on Android after sending a file to a PC | |
| Developers | Samsung Electronics Google LLC |
| Initial release | February 24, 2020; 5 years ago (2020-02-24) |
| Operating system |
|
| Predecessor | Nearby Share |
| Type | Utility software |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | Google App |
Quick Share is awirelesspeer-to-peer data transfer service forAndroid,ChromeOS andWindows. Originally developed bySamsung Electronics for its own devices,Google subsequently collaborated with Samsung and merged its ownNearby Share into Quick Share in 2024,[1] distributing Quick Share to non-Galaxy Android devices throughGoogle Play Services and releasing a Windows app for non-Galaxy PCs.
Quick Share utilizesBluetooth andWi-Fi Direct to send files to nearby devices.[2][3] Samsung devices can send to distant recipients through the Samsung Cloud.
Quick Share debuted in 2020[3] along with theSamsung Galaxy S20 andOne UI 2.1, with rollout to other Galaxy smartphones and tablets later. Samsung claims the service was created to streamline the process of sending content,[3] superseding a previous service named Link Sharing. Quick Share for Windows-basedSamsung Galaxy Book notebooks only was launched in 2021, available from the Microsoft Store.
In January 2024, Google and Samsung announced that Samsung's existing Quick Share implementation would be unified with Google's Nearby Share under the Quick Share brand, with the goal of providing a single, system-level sharing experience across Android phones,ChromeOS devices, and compatible Windows PCs.[1]
In November 2025, Google extended Quick Share to support interoperable sharing with Apple'sAirDrop on devices runningiOS 26, that implemented EUDigital Markets Act interoperability requirements, starting with the Pixel 10 family of phones.[4][5][6]
Users can send files to up to 8 nearby devices at a time, so long as they have the feature enabled[3] and their screens are on.[7] Quick Share can be toggled in the quick panel settings and the user can choose to receive content from anyone nearby, contacts only, your devices, or no one. Content transfer is made possible by choosing Quick Share, after which the sender chooses which nearby device(s) to send to.[3]
Quick Share can upload files to Samsung Cloud and sharing via URL.[8] The data uploaded to the Samsung Cloud can be downloaded by the user either by clicking the specified link or scanning the provided QR code.[9] Uploaded files are limited to 10gigabytes in size, and can remain in Samsung Cloud[3] for a maximum of two days.[8]
The Quick Share app on Windows enables other Quick Share-enabled devices to share files with Windows devices.[10]
When sharing with anApple device runningiOS,iPadOS,macOS, orvisionOS, AirDrop must be set to allow receiving from everyone.[11]
Quick Share is available onAndroid 6 and later,[12][13] ChromeOS 91 and later,[14] and 64-bit versions ofWindows 10 and later (orWindows 11 on ARM).[10]
The Quick Share function is part of the Android and ChromeOS operating systems. A Windows program can be downloaded and installed, requiring both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support.[15] Unofficial clients exist for Linux and macOS.[16]
There are two official apps for Windows available:
Quick Share is built on a combination of short-range discovery and higher-bandwidthWi-Fi transports. On Android devices, the service usesBluetooth orBluetooth Low Energy for initial discovery and authentication, then establishes adirect Wi-Fi link between devices for the actual data transfer, similar to the approach previously used byNearby Share.[13][18]
Internally, Quick Share relies on standard Wi-Fi technologies such asWi-Fi Direct andWi-Fi Aware (Neighbor Awareness Networking) on devices and chipsets that support them, allowing devices to discover one another and exchange data without a traditional access point.[19] Android added platform-level support for Wi-Fi Aware inAndroid 8.0 “Oreo”, and many newer devices expose these capabilities to applications through the Wi-Fi Aware APIs.[20]
Private Share was a derivative data transfer service which usedblockchain encryption, designed for important personal or financial information.[3] Sharing files is possible via the phone number associated with a phone's SIM card, or a user-chosen private number. A private number is exclusive to the Private Share app, and commences with # and includes 10 digits, like #0123456789. The sender is able to set an expiry date for the files, which get automatically deleted from the recipient's devices.[21] There is a 200 megabyte upload limit for senders. Like Quick Share, Private Share is also preloaded on Samsung Galaxy devices.[22] Since December 2023, Private Share has been integrated with Quick Share, and is no longer a separate service.[23]
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