How to Share Files Between Galaxy Phones and iPhones

Sharing photos and files between a Samsung Galaxy phone and an iPhone used to mean emailing them to yourself or hunting for a cable. With Samsung's One UI 9 update, Galaxy phones can now share directly with Apple's AirDrop, so the two phones can swap files over the air. Here is how to set it up and use it.

A modern smartphone in everyday use. Galaxy phones on One UI 9 can now share files directly with iPhones. Credit: Shixart1985 (CC BY 2.0).

What you need

First, check that your Galaxy phone is on the list. Confirmed support so far includes the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A57 on One UI 9, plus several Galaxy S, Z Fold and Z Flip models and the S25 FE, according to recent coverage. Samsung's own Quick Share support page has lagged behind the rollout, so user reports and hands-on coverage are currently more up to date than the official page. You will also need the latest Quick Share app, an iPhone with AirDrop, and both phones nearby with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on.

One warning before you start: availability can depend on your software region, your Quick Share app version and your Google Play services version, and One UI 9 is rolling out in phases by country, carrier and model. If the toggle is missing, update everything first before assuming your phone is not supported.

Step by step: turn it on

1. Install One UI 9 on your Galaxy phone if you have not already. Go to Settings, then Software update, and install any available update.
2. Update Quick Share. Open the Galaxy Store and update Quick Share and its related components to the latest versions.
3. Enable Apple sharing. Go to Settings, then Connected devices, then Quick Share, and switch on Share with Apple devices.
4. Prepare the iPhone. Open AirDrop settings and set receiving to Everyone. On newer iOS versions this is Everyone for 10 minutes, after which it reverts to your previous setting, so you may need to reselect it between transfers. Contacts Only does not work across platforms, because the Android phone is not in the iPhone's contacts system.
5. Send the file. On the Galaxy phone, select the photo, video or file, tap Share, then Quick Share, and choose the iPhone when it appears. On the iPhone, accept the incoming transfer.
6. Send it back. On the iPhone, share a file via AirDrop as usual and choose the Galaxy phone from the list of nearby devices.

Tips and common problems

If the iPhone does not appear, check three things: both phones are close together, both have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switched on, and the iPhone's AirDrop window has not expired back from Everyone. If the Galaxy toggle is missing, re-check for a One UI 9 update and a Quick Share update in the Galaxy Store, and restart the phone. Large videos may take a while, so keep both phones awake and nearby until the transfer completes.

For privacy, remember that Everyone for 10 minutes on the iPhone is a safety net, not a permanent setting: it reverts automatically, which limits the window in which strangers could send you files. If you share often with the same person, you will simply repeat the quick AirDrop step each time.

That is the whole trick: one toggle on the Galaxy side, one AirDrop setting on the iPhone side, and two phones that used to live in separate worlds can finally hand files to each other directly.

Sources: iTechify coverage of One UI 9 Quick Share, Samsung Quick Share support page.