Windows Phone might be dead, but it now (unofficially) supports Quick Share

Microsoft abandoned Windows Phone back in 2017, officially creating the Android-iOS duopoly we have today. That hasn’t stopped people from releasing apps on the platform, though. Now, one enterprising developer has brought Quick Share to Windows Phones.

Developer RetiredLake has released LiveDrop for Windows 10 Mobile. This app unofficially brings Google’s Quick Share functionality to Windows Phones, allowing users to share files locally without using the cloud.

Once you’ve sideloaded and opened the app on your Windows 10 Mobile device, you can choose specific files to share as well as the destination device. You can also use LiveDrop from the system share sheet. There isn’t a dedicated sharing or receiving tab, though, unlike Android devices. Other notable features include the ability to choose Google’s Quick Share or Microsoft’s Nearby Share protocols (though the developer doesn’t recommend the latter), change your Quick Share device name, and check for updates.

As for the actual file-sharing experience, I was able to easily send files from my Lumia 950 to my Galaxy Z Fold 8 review unit and my Windows PC with Quick Share installed. You will need to set the receiving device’s Quick Share visibility to “everyone,” though. I also found that you sometimes needed to toggle visibility on the receiving device if it wasn’t showing up via LiveDrop. Furthermore, the app sometimes doesn’t show the proper name for discovered devices.

Perhaps the biggest downside to LiveDrop right now is that I can’t actually send files via Android or Windows to the Windows Phone. That’s because the Windows Phone handset doesn’t show up in Quick Share itself. The developer has suggested that you switch your Android device’s visibility to “everyone” and change the Windows Phone’s LiveDrop name, but this doesn’t work for me.  Thankfully, the creator confirmed that they’re working on a fix.

In any event, I’m glad that Microsoft’s abandoned mobile platform is still getting new apps from hobbyist developers. We’ve also seen recent additions like the MetroSurf browser and third-party YouTube clients. These apps won’t bring people back to the platform as that ship has long since sailed, but it’s still good news for enthusiasts and tinkerers.