Google and Samsung are teaming up to make sharing files on Android and Chromebook devices easier with the introduction of Android Quick Share. The new way of sending and receiving data replaces Google’s Nearby Share function, with the search engine giant revealing the new collaboration at CES 2024.
Interestingly, this team-up between Google and Samsung is adopting the latter’s naming convention that first arrived on Samsung devices with the release of the S20 in 2020. According to Google, the rollout of Quick Share is coming next month to Samsung phones, as well as other Android devices, with plans to bring the functionality to laptops in the near future. The new software is compatible with all devices utilizing Android 6.0 or more recent versions, so even slightly older smartphones should benefit from the change.
It makes sense for Android brands such as Google and Samsung to collaborate on a unified file-sharing system, especially as both continue to compete with Apple and its AirDrop function. Until now, sending images and videos from different Android devices has been needlessly complicated, but all this should change with the rebranding of Quick Share and the combined efforts of the Android brands.
Quick Share wasn’t Google’s only exciting software reveal at CES 2024, with the tech company also sharing new details on updates to Chromecast. From today, you can now stream TikTok video content from your phone to any device with Chromecast built-in, including TikTok live streams. Finding a TV with Chromecast should soon be easier than ever, too, with Google and LG announcing a new partnership that sees the streaming function come as a built-in feature on LG’s 2024 range of TVs.
With that, you’re up to date on the reveal of Android Quick Share, Google and Samsung’s effort to unify file-sharing on Android. If this news has you tempted to make the leap from Apple to Android, check out our guides to the best Google Pixel phones, the best Xiaomi phones, and the best OnePlus phones.