Need to send photos, videos, or documents from one Android phone to another — no cables, no messaging app compressing everything, no uploading to the cloud first? Quick Share is Android’s built-in answer. It’s fast, wireless, and already on your phone.
Quick Share used to be called Nearby Share until Google rebranded it in early 2024 (merging it with Samsung’s own Quick Share). If you see old tutorials mentioning Nearby Share, they’re talking about the same feature — just under its new name.
What Is Quick Share?
Quick Share is Android’s AirDrop equivalent: a system-level feature that sends files directly between nearby devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Key facts:
- It’s built in. Every phone running Android 6 or later has it (branded as Quick Share since 2024). No app to install.
- It’s fast. Files transfer over a direct Wi-Fi connection, so a 1 GB video moves in under a minute in good conditions — far faster than Bluetooth alone.
- It doesn’t compress. Unlike sending via WhatsApp or Messenger, the file arrives at full original quality.
- It works with Windows PCs too. Google’s Quick Share app for Windows lets you send files between your phone and computer.
- It’s private. Transfers are encrypted, and you control who can discover your device.
What You Need Before You Start
Quick Share works when both devices meet these requirements:
- Both devices run Android 6.0 or later (for the Quick Share branding, Android with Google Play services updated in 2024+; Samsung phones have had it for years).
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (or Location) are turned on on both devices. The devices don’t need to be on the same Wi-Fi network — Quick Share creates its own direct connection.
- The devices are within about 30 feet (10 meters) of each other.
- The receiving device is visible — its Quick Share visibility setting must allow the sender (more on this below).
Part 1: Set Up Quick Share on Your Phone
You only need to do this once.
Step 1. Go to Settings.
Step 2. Tap Connected devices (on Samsung: Connected devices as well; on some phones it’s under Google → Devices & sharing).
Step 3. Tap Quick Share.
Step 4. Make sure Quick Share is toggled on.
Step 5. Tap Who can share with you and choose your visibility:
- Your devices — only devices signed into your own Google account can see you. The most private option.
- Contacts — anyone in your Google contacts can see you.
- Everyone — any nearby device can see you. Convenient, but you’ll get a prompt to accept every transfer, so strangers can’t force files onto your phone. You can also set this to Everyone for 10 minutes and it reverts automatically.
Your device name shown here is what other people will see — tap it to rename it to something recognizable if the default is cryptic.
Quick Settings shortcut
For faster access, add Quick Share to your Quick Settings panel:
Step 1. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen to open the full Quick Settings panel.
Step 2. Tap the pencil/edit icon.
Step 3. Find the Quick Share tile and drag it into your active tiles.
Now you can toggle visibility with one tap.
Part 2: Sending Files with Quick Share
From the share menu (photos, files, links — anything)
Step 1. Open the file you want to send — a photo in Google Photos, a document in Files, a link in Chrome, anything with a share button.
Step 2. Tap the Share icon.
Step 3. In the share sheet, tap Quick Share. Nearby devices appear as circular icons with their device names.
Step 4. Tap the device you want to send to.
Step 5. The recipient sees a prompt to Accept (and a preview of what’s being sent). Once they accept, the transfer begins.
Step 6. When it finishes, both phones show a confirmation. On the receiving phone, tap the notification to open the file.
You can select multiple files before tapping Share — Quick Share queues them all into one transfer.
From the Quick Share app screen
Step 1. Go to Settings → Connected devices → Quick Share.
Step 2. Tap Send (or the send icon).
Step 3. Choose files from the picker, then pick the receiving device.
This route is handy when you want to send several files of different types at once.
Part 3: Receiving Files with Quick Share
Step 1. Make sure your visibility setting allows the sender (Your devices, Contacts, or Everyone).
Step 2. When someone sends you a file, a notification appears showing the sender’s device name and what’s being sent.
Step 3. Tap Accept. The file downloads straight to your phone — photos and videos land in your gallery/Downloads, documents in the Files app.
Step 4. If you don’t want the file, tap Decline. The sender is never told why — they just see that the transfer didn’t go through.
Where do received files go?
- Photos and videos: your default gallery app and the Downloads folder.
- Other files: the Downloads folder, accessible via the Files app (Files → Downloads).
- Links: open directly in your browser.
Part 4: Quick Share Between Android and Windows
Google offers a free Quick Share for Windows app (downloadable from Google’s official site — search “Quick Share for Windows”). Once installed:
Step 1. Install and open Quick Share on your Windows PC, and sign in with your Google account.
Step 2. On your phone, share any file via Quick Share as normal.
Step 3. Your PC appears in the device list — tap it, accept on the PC, and the file transfers.
This works in both directions: you can also drag files onto the Windows app to send them to your phone. Your phone and PC need Bluetooth on and to be on the same general network for discovery, though the actual transfer is direct.
Samsung vs Pixel: Any Differences?
Functionally, no — since the 2024 merger, Samsung’s Quick Share and Google’s Quick Share are the same feature with the same branding. Two small notes:
- Samsung phones may show Quick Share options inside Samsung’s own share sheet with slightly different icons, but the flow is identical.
- Samsung to Samsung transfers can optionally use Samsung’s enhanced sharing over their cloud link for very large files, but standard Quick Share handles everything locally.
Tips for Faster, Smoother Transfers
- Keep the phones close. The closer the devices, the faster the Wi-Fi direct link. A few feet apart is ideal.
- Turn off VPNs during transfer. A VPN on either device can slow or block the direct connection.
- Keep screens on. If the receiving phone’s screen sleeps mid-transfer, some phones pause the transfer. A quick tap keeps it alive.
- Large batches? Send in groups. Sending 500 photos at once works, but splitting into smaller batches makes it easier to resume if something interrupts.
- Airplane mode trick: If discovery is flaky, toggle Bluetooth off and on again on both phones — this forces a fresh scan.
Troubleshooting
The other device doesn’t appear
- Confirm Quick Share is on on both phones (Settings → Connected devices → Quick Share).
- Check the receiver’s visibility: if it’s set to Your devices and you’re not signed into the same Google account, you won’t see them. Switch to Contacts or Everyone temporarily.
- Make sure Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are both on on both devices.
- Move the phones closer together and wait 10–15 seconds for discovery.
- Restart both phones if discovery worked before and suddenly stopped.
Transfer starts but fails halfway
- Keep both screens awake during the transfer.
- Move closer — walls and distance degrade the direct Wi-Fi link.
- Free up storage on the receiving phone; a full disk aborts the transfer silently.
- Disable VPN apps on both devices and try again.
“Couldn’t send” or pairing errors
- Toggle Quick Share off and on again on both devices.
- Clear the Quick Share app’s cache: Settings → Apps → Quick Share (or Nearby Share on older versions) → Storage → Clear cache. Your settings are preserved.
- Make sure Google Play services is updated (Play Store → profile → Manage apps & device → Updates available).
The share sheet doesn’t show Quick Share
On some phones, the share sheet needs a moment to load nearby devices — scroll the share targets sideways. If Quick Share is genuinely missing, check that it’s enabled in Settings (Part 1) and that your Play services are current.
Quick Share vs the Alternatives
| Method | Speed | Quality | Needs internet? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Share | Very fast | Original | No |
| Bluetooth | Slow | Original | No |
| WhatsApp/Messenger | Medium | Compressed | Yes |
| Google Drive link | Medium | Original | Yes |
| USB cable | Fastest | Original | No |
Quick Share wins for phone-to-phone transfers because it needs no internet, no cable, and no quality loss. The cable still wins on raw speed for huge transfers (like moving 50 GB to a new phone), and cloud links win when the other person isn’t nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Quick Share the same as Nearby Share? Yes. Google renamed Nearby Share to Quick Share in January 2024 and merged it with Samsung’s feature of the same name. Same technology, new name.
Does Quick Share use mobile data? No. Transfers go over a direct Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connection between the devices. No data charges, and it works with no SIM at all.
Can I Quick Share to an iPhone? No — iPhones don’t support Quick Share (and Android doesn’t support AirDrop). For Android-to-iPhone transfers, use a cloud link, email, or a cross-platform app.
Is there a file size limit? No official limit, but very large transfers (tens of GB) are more reliable over cable. For everyday photos, videos, and documents, there’s effectively no limit.
Bottom line
Turn on Quick Share under Settings → Connected devices, set Who can share with you to Contacts (or Everyone when needed), and from then on just tap Share → Quick Share on anything you want to send. It beats messaging apps on quality, beats Bluetooth on speed, and beats the cloud on simplicity — for nearby transfers, it’s the method to reach for first.
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