Google Makes It Easier to Share Files Between Android and iPhone

[robvalentine]

But Google wanna remove photos from iPhone if you remove them from Google photos app... we must turn off sharing and than remove them... thats like blackmailing

I agree their storage management isn't as good as Apple's, but iCloud is the same pretty much. It doesn't force you to delete photos off your device. So the blackmail claim is misleading, and false.

 

[robvalentine]

“QR code that can instantly share content with iOS devices via the cloud.”

I’d be willing to take a bet that Google has a quick sniff of that file whilst it’s hanging around on their server. And for how long does it hang, I wonder….

Just like Apple does on iCloud.

 

[Wiencon]

That's absolutely great and all but LocalSend has been available for years, it doesn't use cloud, is open source and is just fantastic.

LocalSend - Downloads

Download LocalSend for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

localsend.org

 

[Wiencon]

I would love this between my iPhone and Windows laptop (and any device for that matter). Why this is even a thing in 2026 is beyond me.

Check out LocalSend, free, open-source and works on Windows as well:

LocalSend - Downloads

Download LocalSend for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

localsend.org

 

[Jeo_cz]

I don’t use any Google products. I would never share files with any Google affiliated product or service. I prefer to keep my data secure and private.

Which phone and comp do you use to stay out of Google? Do you know that Gemini (Google product) is comming directly to all Apple devices as a Siri integration very soon?

 

[Earwolf]

I don't use Google.





But it sure uses the heck out of me.

 

[zorinlynx]

The article says that the subset of Android phones that don't support Airdrop will use the cloud, not the other Android phones.

Half the time I want to share a photo phone-to-phone it's because there's lousy connectivity where I am and I CAN'T share it using something like a text message, Telegram, Discord or whatnot.

So using a different cloud method to share files won't help. We need a reliable way to send files device to device, locally. It's getting better but it sounds like there's still obstacles.

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

Check out LocalSend, free, open-source and works on Windows as well:

LocalSend - Downloads

Download LocalSend for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

localsend.org

Thank you! I'm not sure how this'll go on my work computer though. They might get a bit antsy about installing it. It's just a shame we can't have these protocols be open and native to each OS.

 

[Dr McKay]

Microsoft Windows Phone called this "squirting" or similar if I recall.

Balmer used the term during a Zune presentation but it was never the official name for it. Squirting was simply a general tech term for sending data between devices and dates back to the 80s. You can still find “fsquirt.exe” in Windows and relates to Bluetooth file sharing.

 

[MacBH928]

1 Word:

LocalSend

If you have android, you don’t deserve the files I want to share !

good man

 

[ProbablyDylan]

It's always better when devices work well together. QR codes are pretty clunky though, I imagine they're simply a stopgap due to Apple's lack of cooperation.

 

[MacBH928]

Half the time I want to share a photo phone-to-phone it's because there's lousy connectivity where I am and I CAN'T share it using something like a text message, Telegram, Discord or whatnot.

So using a different cloud method to share files won't help. We need a reliable way to send files device to device, locally. It's getting better but it sounds like there's still obstacles.

maybe you missed it but LocalSend has been mentioned multiple times in this thread already

It's always better when devices work well together. QR codes are pretty clunky though, I imagine they're simply a stopgap due to Apple's lack of cooperation.

contrary, to the lay person, it easier for them to take a picture of a QR than operating Airdrop. you won't believe how people are computer illiterates

 

[Workerbee Redux]

it also worked with Apple to make it easier to switch from an iPhone to an Android device, capabilities the two companies had to implement under Europe's Digital Markets Act.

The EU's overreach is so annoying. Why don't they leave it up to the market to decide instead of forcing American companies to just through burning hoops in their market? Bureaucrats have no idea what the best solution is from a customer PoV.

 

[MacBH928]

The EU's overreach is so annoying. Why don't they leave it up to the market to decide instead of forcing American companies to just through burning hoops in their market? Bureaucrats have no idea what the best solution is from a customer PoV.

there are business regulations for a reason. to protect the consumer. Quality standards, business practices, repair rights, antitrust, etc etc

 

[drkrleitch]

iPhone users will likely know their data won’t be secure and know they don’t need to open their phones up to Googles insecure world. It looks like Google is going to shut down Pixel. With a 3% and declining market share their losses are massive.

This is such a dumb and laughable comment.