3 weeks ago
4
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
Wish it was easier to share files between Android and iPhone? Android Authority says a file-sharing service designed for Android devices may eventually become available on Apple products.
During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, Google announced its collaboration with Samsung to introduce a new feature called Quick Share, which aims to simplify file sharing. This feature offers a unified solution for sharing files across Android devices, Chromebooks, and Windows systems, making the process seamless within these ecosystems. Think of it like AirDrop but for Android.
Quick Share is unavailable on Apple devices such as the iPhone and Mac since it launched earlier this year. However, it looks like that could change in the future.
Recently, a Google engineer shared insights on the company’s “Nearby” repository on GitHub, hinting at the possibility of launching Quick Share on Apple devices. Specifically, the engineer said that for “iOS and macOS, the device name is already localized and generally works well for Quick Share purposes (i.e., “Niko’s MacBook Pro”), so avoid using the non-localized account name and device type concatenation.”
Prakhar Khanna / Digital TrendsWhile the engineer did not specifically state that Google plans to bring Quick Share to iPhones and Macs, the mention of iOS and macOS here makes it apparent that Google is at least thinking about bringing the feature over.
So, this is big news, right? The issue is that Quick Share is quite similar to Apple’s AirDrop, which raises questions about its potential market on Apple devices.
Apple introduced AirDrop in 2011, initially allowing file transfers only between Macs. However, with the release of iOS 7, the service expanded to support other Apple devices, including iPhones and iPads. With AirDrop, you can wirelessly send files such as photos, videos, contacts, documents, and more to nearby Apple devices.
Since AirDrop is available on Apple devices by default, there likely aren’t many Apple users who would find Quick Share beneficial. However, there may be a market for people who use multiple operating systems. For instance, someone who uses an Android or Windows-based computer for work and an iPhone for personal use might appreciate this feature. Alternatively, it could simplify sharing files between two people if one person has an iPhone and the other has an Android phone.
Again, there’s no guarantee Quick Share is coming to the iPhone (and if so, we don’t know when), but this is potentially something to look forward to.
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
It just got easier to protect your Android phone from thieves
With the release of Android 15 on Pixel devices, Google has introduced several new privacy and security enhancements. Among the notable additions are the improved theft protection features that are designed to make it harder for thieves to access your data. Initially, it was a bit difficult to find these settings. However, as Android Authority first noted, that's about to change.
When Android 15 launched, to find the theft protection menu on devices running Android 15, you had to follow these steps:
Read more
A microscopic change may give the iPhone 18 huge performance gains
Apple is poised to make a significant change with the iPhone 18 when the series arrives in 2026. A reliable source on Weibo suggests that the tech giant will leverage TSMC's cutting-edge 2-nanometer fabrication process for the A20 chip powering these devices. This advancement promises a significant boost in performance and efficiency.
Furthermore, the iPhone 18 series is rumored to be the first to feature 12GB of RAM across the board, which would be a substantial upgrade from the current 8GB RAM in the iPhone 16 lineup. This increase in memory capacity will enable smoother multitasking and enhanced performance for demanding applications.
Read more
The next iPhone SE may be missing a key iPhone 16 feature
It seems like more information about the iPhone SE 4 is released every week, and that's saying something when we already know quite a bit about this gadget. An image of an iPhone SE 4 case has hit the web, courtesy of known leaker Sonny Dickson, and it matches what we've come to expect with one big difference: there's no cutout for the Action button.
We know the iPhone SE 4 will likely resemble the iPhone 14, but some rumors have mentioned an Action button similar to what the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 offer. If you take a look at the image below, you'll see the cutout where the Action button should usually go. It looks more like it's designed for a silent/mute toggle switch.
Read more
English (US) ·