After Galaxy S26, Samsung is bringing iPhone AirDrop support to the budget Galaxy A phones

Samsung's AirDrop feature isn't staying flagship-exclusive — budget Galaxy A-series phones are officially next, closing the gap between Android and iPhone file sharing.

By Shikhar Mehrotra Published March 30, 2026

A person using the Samsung Galaxy A55. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

AirDrop has long been an iPhone exclusive — a seamless, quick, and efficient way to transfer files between iPhones, iPads, and Macs (unless it decides to stop doing that every now and then). Android users have watched from the sidelines for years, but that’s changing fast.

Last year, Google engineered AirDrop compatibility into its Quick Share platform. The feature debuted on the Pixel 10 series. The Galaxy S26 series became the first Samsung lineup to pick up on it. However, now, the company is pushing the feature further in its smartphone portfolio, and the affordable Galaxy A series phones are next.

Which budget Galaxy A series phones are getting AirDrop?

Folks over at GalaxyClub discovered the “Share with Apple devices” menu on several non-flagship Samsung phones after installing the updated version of Quick Share (13.8.51.58), Quick Share Agent (3.5.22.24), and Quick Share Connectivity (1.5.13.15) from the Galaxy Store.

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The list of smartphones includes the Galaxy A56, Galaxy A36, and Galaxy A55, Samsung’s solid mid-range devices that typically retail well below the flagship price point. What’s even more interesting is that the older Galaxy S series flagships, including the S22, S23, S24, and S25, also appear on the confirmed list.

Can you sideload AirDrop on your Galaxy smartphone right now?

If you have any of the Galaxy smartphones mentioned above, you can technically install AirDrop compatibility in Quick Share. However, you’ll have to sideload the Quick Share Extension (1.0.874307641) and the extensions I mentioned above (all three) to enable the feature on supported phones.

Even so, actual file transfers to iPhones aren’t reliably working yet, especially outside the Galaxy S26 series. What’s weird is that the newly launched Galaxy A37 5G and A57 5G are absent from the list entirely, even though they run One UI 8.5.

Shikhar Mehrotra

News Writer

For more than five years, Shikhar has consistently simplified developments in the field of consumer tech and presented them…

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