Samsung’s Quick Share is the company’s version of Apple’s AirDrop. The file-sharing feature, which made its debut on the Galaxy S20 series in 2020, allows users to share files with nearby contacts who have a compatible Samsung Galaxy device. The same year, Google announced Nearby Share, also an AirDrop-like feature that is available on most Android devices, including Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets.
Samsung’s Quick Share is supported by the company’s Galaxy devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. Although it first launched on the Galaxy S20 series, Samsung has since made it available on most of its smartphones and tablets running Android 10 and later. Devices running Google’s Android Go Edition do not support the feature. Quick Share is also available on Samsung laptops running Windows such as the Galaxy Book models, Galaxy Book Ion series, Galaxy Book Flex series, and more. Google first announced Nearby Share with the Pixel 5 series in August 2020, and has since rolled it out to Android devices from many other brands.
Quick Share Vs. Nearby Share: Compatibility
Samsung has designed Quick Share to work with its own devices. However, there is a workaround to using Quick Share with non-Samsung devices. After selecting the files to be shared, Samsung users can choose options like Copy link, Share in an app, or Share using QR code. These methods upload the files to Samsung Cloud, from where recipients can download them. Since an upload is involved, this method consumes more data for the sender. The files are only stored in Samsung Cloud for a limited time, after which they are deleted.
Nearby Share is available on all Android phones and tablets (with Google Mobile Services), including Samsung devices. Google has also added support for Nearby Share to Windows and Chrome OS, which means Windows PCs and Chromebooks can send and receive files from other compatible devices. Windows users will need to download the Nearby Share Beta app to use the feature.
In terms of how they work, Quick Share and Nearby Share are very similar. They both use Bluetooth to find nearby devices and allow users to choose between three device visibility options — Hidden, Contacts, and Everyone/Anyone. With Quick Share or Nearby Share, users can share photos, videos, files, and links with other devices. However, one advantage of Samsung’s Quick Share is that it allows users to share a file or multiple files with up to five contacts simultaneously, while Nearby Share is limited to just one contact at a time.
Quick Share Vs. Nearby Share: File Transfer Limits
If using Samsung’s Quick Share, users can share up to 1GB of files at a time. However, the file transfer limit is capped at 2GB per day. That’s enough to share a couple of hundred photos with another user. Note that if sharing files with multiple users, that 2GB transfer cap will be distributed among all the recipients.
As for Nearby Share, Google allows users to share up to 500 files at once. If a user exceeds the maximum file limit, they’ll be notified and will need to transfer those files separately. By using Quick Share or Nearby Share, users can easily send photos and videos to friends, without having to upload them separately.
