AirDrop is coming to older Samsung Galaxy devices as well, but we can’t celebrate victory just yet

Following Google’s initiative, Samsung has recently started to integrate AirDrop support into its flagship devices via the Quick Share service.

The encouraging news is that the South Korean company has decided to not limit this handy feature exclusively to the models just launched on the market.

Through a specific update to system components, the option to send content directly to iPhone, iPad and Mac computers is starting to appear also on smartphones belonging to older generations.

AirDrop also on older Samsung Galaxy S models, but there is a problem

The initial evidence of this expanded compatibility comes from several online platforms, particularly Reddit, where some users shared their discoveries regarding the latest software updates.

A recent Quick Share app update, distributed through the official Galaxy Store channel, has introduced a dedicated switch explicitly for sharing with Apple devices.

The screenshots published online confirm that the feature is reaching owners of smartphones belonging to the Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy S23, Galaxy S24 and naturally the most recent family of Galaxy S25.

This implementation has been noticed mainly by those testing the beta version of the One UI 8.5 operating system, though isolated reports have also come from users currently using the stable One UI 8.

An option still inactive

Despite the initial enthusiasm for the appearance of this new entry in the share menus, at the moment it is not yet possible to actually use the function on updated devices.

Users can view and physically interact with the switch related to the connection with the Apple world, but the actual data transfer does not start. The most credible hypothesis is that the technical infrastructure requires a remote activation by Samsung or Google on their respective servers.

No official communications have been provided regarding the timing of definitive unlock, however it appears highly probable that full operability will be guaranteed in conjunction with the public and global release of the One UI 8.5 update.