Quick Share/AirDrop gets Qualcomm backing, leaving old Pixels out in the cold, but for how long?

Google’s announcement its Quick Share feature suddenly worked with Apple’s AirDrop file sharing tool took most by surprise, which was then laced with disappointment due to it currently only working with Pixel 10 series phones.

However, Qualcomm has since jumped into the conversation, and by doing so has raised more questions about Google opening up the feature on older Pixel models.

Qualcomm’s integration coming soon

Soon after Google shared the Quick Share news in a post on social media platform X, Qualcomm added its own voice to the excitement, sharing that it:

There’s not much to unpack in Qualcomm’s note, as it makes it clear Quick Share’s cross-platform sharing feature will operate on phones with Snapdragon processors inside.

This means devices made by Samsung, Motorola, Nothing, Xiaomi, Honor, and practically every other major Android maker’s device on the planet could get the chance to easily swap files with Apple phones.

Great news, but…

It’s always heartening to hear brands come together to make a genuinely helpful feature available to more people. Except in this case, Qualcomm’s message raises questions over Google’s efforts to make the Quick Share update available on more of its own phones.

Google’s recent Pixel series phones do not use a Qualcomm processor, but Google’s own Tensor chips. In its blog post on the subject, Google said the updated file share feature was, “starting with the Pixel 10 family,” hinting at other devices working with it in the future.

Qualcomm-powered phones would fit into this category, and Google’s phrasing doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the updated Quick Share feature coming to other Pixel phones. Qualcomm’s words are also well-chosen, as it doesn’t state which devices will receive the update.

Will it even get that far?

Quick Share’s compatibility with AirDrop isn’t an Apple/Google collaboration. It’s Google working its magic to make cross-OS file sharing a reality.

Does that mean Apple may update AirDrop in the future and include an unfortunate feature-change that ends Quick Share’s ability to work with it? If so, it won’t matter how many Android phones support the feature.

It’s possible this uncertainty has held Google back from adding the feature to older Pixel devices. By restricting it to the most recent phones, Google remains in control of how many devices are suddenly Quick Sharing and AirDropping away.

Support looks like it’s here to stay

Apple may face problems if it does break support though. Reports suggest the interoperability may be a by-product of Apple complying with European Union directives, most importantly the integration of the Wi-Fi Aware standard into iOS 26, which it’s speculated is a key part of the new Quick Share feature.

Android has supported Wi-Fi Aware since Android 8 Oreo, so if it is required for Quick Share and AirDrop, a lot of quite old Android phones may potentially be compatible. Android Police has contacted Google to understand any plans to bring the new Quick Share feature to more Pixel phones.

For now, if you’ve got a Pixel 10 phone and an iPhone or iPad with iOS 26, make sure you’ve installed the Quick Share update and take your first step into the new world of cross-platform file sharing.