Google and Samsung are quietly building a tap to share feature for Android that works a lot like Apple’s AirDrop. The idea is simple enough. You hold two phones close together, and files transfer between them without digging through share menus or hunting for a nearby device name.
According to Android Authority, evidence for the feature has been piling up across three separate places. It appears in Samsung’s One UI 9 builds, inside Google Play Services code, and even in Android 17 system files. Developers tracking these builds say the feature has been taking shape since late 2025, and it now looks like it’s heading toward a proper release rather than staying a Samsung experiment.
Samsung and Google are building it together
The tap to share feature first showed up in Samsung’s One UI 8.5 as a hidden Labs experiment. Now in One UI 9, it has its own name and a clear description telling users to hold the top of the phone close to another device to send files.
But this isn’t just a Samsung project. Google Play Services code from November 2025 includes something called “Gesture Exchange,” which was built for sharing contact information like AirDrop’s NameDrop feature. That same Gesture Exchange name has since appeared in One UI 9’s Quick Share app, suggesting the contact sharing tool has grown into a full file transfer system.
Android 17 beta builds add another layer, with references to an OS-level service called “TapToShare.” NFC probably handles the initial tap to wake everything up, and then Quick Share takes over to move the actual files.
This isn’t just for Samsung phones
What makes this worth paying attention to is the cross-brand potential. Because the tap to share code lives inside Google Play Services and Android 17 itself, it should work across devices from different manufacturers. That would solve one of Android’s oldest pain points.
An iPhone user knows AirDrop works with any other iPhone. An Android user today has Quick Share, but the experience can feel fragmented depending on whether the other phone runs Samsung software, uses a different brand’s version, or requires a separate app. Building the feature directly into Android removes that friction entirely.
When you can expect tap to share
Google will likely announce the feature alongside the stable release of Android 17. Samsung devices could get it first given how much work is already visible in One UI 9 builds, but the broader rollout should follow.
There is a catch worth noting, as these discoveries come from code teardowns, which means nothing is set in stone until Google makes an official announcement. Features spotted in development builds sometimes get delayed or scrapped entirely. Still, the clues are unusually widespread this time.
The smart move is to keep an eye on Android 17 news. If tap to share lands as expected, sharing files between Android phones will finally feel as natural as bumping two devices together.
