Google’s Pixel Tablet quietly gains support for Quick Share iPhone transfers

Google shook up the mobile industry last year by enabling Quick Share support for Apple iPhones via AirDrop. Although this feature still requires a select few smartphones to work, Google may have quietly added support for its nearly forgotten 2023 tablet.

Thanks to a tip from Joe Lenington on X, we’re getting a good look at the Quick Share interface for file sharing with Apple devices on an Android 17-based Google Pixel Tablet. The onscreen prompt suggests support was added recently, though we can’t say exactly when.

In any case, Pixel Tablet users will have no reason to complain, especially if they’re currently using other means to share items with an iPhone. While it’s hard to tell from this single screenshot, we assume the recently introduced QR code-based file sharing system is also included here.

Lenington didn’t say whether they could receive files on the tablet from an iPhone via AirDrop, though we don’t see any reason why that functionality wouldn’t work.

Looking at the Quick Share with iPhone FAQs, we see no mention of the Pixel Tablet. In fact, no tablets are listed on the page. However, small text at the very bottom of the page reveals the feature supports both “mobile devices and tablets.”

We wouldn’t put too much faith in the Quick Share page, though, as it doesn’t mention the Pixel 11 series or the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra that were announced not too long ago. This suggests the list may not be up to date.

Quick Share transfers to Apple devices work on the Google Pixel 8a and newer. For Samsung devices, the feature works on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and newer models, and on all foldables released after the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Meanwhile, select phones from Chinese brands like OPPO, HONOR, vivo, and OnePlus also support this capability, with more devices on the horizon.