UPDATED · News · 9 Apr 2026 · MTW News Desk
Samsung AirDrop is here, and most iPhone users have no idea it happened. Samsung just blew the doors off Apple’s walled garden. The company has expanded Samsung AirDrop support via Quick Share to its recent flagship Galaxy devices through the One UI 8.5 beta, with support now reaching back to the Galaxy S24 series. If you own a Galaxy S24 or newer, you can send files directly to an iPhone sitting next to you, no third-party app, no email, no cloud upload. This is the single most important cross-platform feature Samsung has shipped in years, and Apple cannot do a thing to stop it.
Every Galaxy Device That Now Supports AirDrop — the samsung airdrop galaxy angle
The full list of supported devices is tighter than some early rumours suggested. Samsung has confirmed AirDrop via Quick Share for the Galaxy S26 series (out of the box), plus the Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Z Flip 6, according to coverage from Droid-Life and Android Police. Notably excluded, despite being in the latest One UI 8.5 beta, are the Galaxy S23 series, S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5 and the mid-range Galaxy A36 5G. Owners of those devices will have to wait to see whether Samsung adds them later.
You also need to be running the One UI 8.5 beta. Samsung has made the beta available in a phased manner through the Samsung Members app in the US, UK, India, and South Korea, with more regions following. Once you are on the beta, you also need to update Quick Share via the Google Play Store to pick up the AirDrop integration.
How It Actually Works — the samsung airdrop galaxy angle
The setup is deliberately simple, which is smart given how many people will try this for the first time. On the Samsung side, open Quick Share settings and enable “Share with Apple devices.” On the iPhone side, the recipient needs AirDrop set to “Everyone” for 10 minutes, not “Contacts Only”, to make their device visible to the Galaxy phone. Once both are ready, Samsung AirDrop sharing works exactly like you would expect: select a file, tap the iPhone in the share sheet, and it transfers directly over a peer-to-peer wireless connection.
Transfer speeds are comparable to native AirDrop between two iPhones. Photos and videos move in seconds, and larger files like presentations or ZIP archives transfer at rates that make Bluetooth look prehistoric. There is one notable limitation worth knowing about: image metadata can be stripped during cross-platform transfers. If you are a photographer who relies on EXIF data, check your files after sharing.
Why Apple Cannot Block This
Samsung AirDrop is not a hack or a workaround. Samsung has implemented the feature on top of Apple’s AirDrop “Everyone for 10 Minutes” broadcasting mode, which is open enough that any device can advertise and receive files. Because Quick Share now understands that broadcast, the iPhone does not need to do anything differently on its end, the Galaxy phone simply shows up in the share sheet alongside other Apple devices.
The timing is not accidental either. Regulatory pressure in the EU and UK has been pushing Apple toward greater interoperability for over a year. The Digital Markets Act specifically targets platform lock-in tactics, and restricting file sharing between competing platforms is exactly the kind of behaviour regulators have been scrutinising. Apple leaving this door slightly ajar is less a gesture of goodwill and more a calculated move to stay ahead of mandatory compliance.
What This Means for Mixed Households
Plenty of UK households mix iPhone and Android handsets across family members, and for those families this changes daily life more than any camera upgrade or processor bump. Sharing holiday photos, school documents, receipts, and videos between family members no longer requires WhatsApp compression, email attachments, or Google Drive links. You just tap and send.
For businesses, the implications are equally significant. Offices with mixed device environments have always struggled with quick file sharing. Our how-to guides cover the full setup process. AirDrop between Samsung and Apple devices removes one of the last practical arguments for standardising on a single platform.
The Beta Catch and When to Expect Stable
The elephant in the room is that this is still a beta feature. One UI 8.5 beta is stable enough for daily use, but beta software carries inherent risks. Apps can break, battery life can fluctuate, and you may encounter bugs that stable users never see. If your Galaxy phone is your only device, think carefully before jumping in purely for AirDrop access.
Samsung has not confirmed a stable One UI 8.5 release date for older devices, but based on previous rollout timelines, expect the Galaxy S25 series to get stable One UI 8.5 first, followed by the S24 series and the newer foldables over the following weeks. The S23 line and A36 5G, which are in beta but not yet on the AirDrop compatibility list, will likely receive the stable software later still.
The Verdict: Install the Beta or Wait?
If you regularly share files with iPhone users and your Galaxy phone is on the supported list, the One UI 8.5 beta is worth installing today. The AirDrop integration works reliably, the beta is mature, and the convenience gain is immediate. If you are cautious about beta software or your phone is your primary work device, wait for the stable release, it is coming within weeks, not months.
Either way, this is the moment the walled garden started to crack for real. Samsung AirDrop across two generations of flagships plus the current foldables means tens of millions of Galaxy owners can now share files with iPhone users as easily as Apple users share with each other. That is not a minor software update. That is a fundamental shift in how the two biggest phone ecosystems interact, and it is about time.
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