Newsletter
Samsung is preparing to launch three new smartphones for next month. Quick Share, a Samsung AirDrop alternative, will be one of the Galaxy S20’s newest software features.
Samsung’s AirDrop Alternative
Quick Share works similarly to Apple’s AirDrop. It allows users to transfer files between Galaxy phones. XDA says that the feature allows users to share content between contacts or with anyone. A photo of the new feature has the words, “Share instantly with people nearby. Make sure the other person has Quick Share turned on on their device.” The image of the upcoming feature, courtesy of XDA, is shown below.
Another sharing option with Quick Share will be the Samsung Cloud component. Users will be able to upload content to the cloud and share it from there with other Galaxy phones.
Since Quick Share works only with the Galaxy S20 at the moment, the feature is ripe for Samsung’s S20 announcement with Samsung’s upcoming One UI 2.1 update.
Quick Share is Samsung’s S-Beam, Reimagined
It is worth saying: Quick Share isn’t Samsung’s first effort at file sharing in Android. The top Android OEM has had its S-Beam solution in place since the Galaxy S3 was announced in 2012. While some say that Android hasn’t had an AirDrop alternative in place, Samsung’s S-Beam has been around for the last near 8 years. Google’s own Android Beam has been around since 2011 with Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.
When Apple announced AirDrop for iOS 7 back in June 2013 at WWDC, Craig Federighi implied AirDrop is a response to Android Beam and S-Beam. AirDrop removes the need to “wander around the room, bumping your phone with others,” Federighi said.
Since S-Beam is Samsung’s own take on Google’s Android Beam, the question comes down to the following: why is Samsung’s reimagining S-Beam, now?
Why a new Samsung AirDrop alternative now?
Why release a new Samsung AirDrop alternative now? The answer, in large part, pertains to Google’s removal of Android Beam from Android in its latest release, Android 10. Google is working on a new solution called Fast Share, functionally similar to Google Files. Fast Share will work without an internet connection.
Since Samsung’s S-Beam is built atop of Android Beam, the Android OEM must now find a new solution that’s Fast Share-compatible. Quick Share will do just that.
Apart from Google and Samsung, there are other Android OEMs planning their own sharing solutions. Huawei’s Huawei Beam works for its own Android-based smartphones. Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi are creating a cross-platform sharing solution that works across various brands.
Samsung will announce Quick Share at its Galaxy S20 Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event on February 11th. Whether the feature will ever work cross-platform between Galaxy and iPhone users is a matter of future anticipation.