Will Apple block Google’s AirDrop Integration?

File sharing between smartphones has long been restricted by platform. The surprising news is that Google has figured out how to use AirDrop to exchange files both ways between its own Pixel Android devices, iPhones, and other Apple devices. 

“Sharing moments shouldn’t depend on the phone you have. Starting today with the Pixel 10 family, Quick Share now works with AirDrop, making secure file transfers between Android phones and iPhones more seamless,” Google said in a blog post. (Quick Share is the Android equivalent of AirDrop.)

There are some limits. For starters, Apple devices need to have their AirDrop settings set to “Everyone” mode for this to work and they can always refuse to accept the file.

How Google’s QuickShare works

Google says the feature is protected by a “multi-layered security approach to ensure a safe sharing experience from end-to-end, regardless of what platform you’re on.” 

That means use of memory-safe language, Rust, for the communication channel, and the built-in platform protection of both Apple and Android devices. Google said it has also put the file-sharing through strict security review.

“These overlapping protections on both platforms work in concert with the secure connection to provide comprehensive safety for your data when you share or receive,” Dave Kleidermacher, Google’s vice president for platforms security and privacy, wrote in a post explaining the tool security.

Compatible Android devices (the Pixel 10 family, at present) need to update the Quick Share Extension in the Privacy and Security section of their settings. If the feature is actually secure and manages to proliferate across other Android devices, I think a lot of people — Android and iOS owners alike — will enjoy using it.

Enterprise and regulatory implications

IT managers will likely want to make sure it is possible to disable file-sharing through QuickShrare and Air Drop using standard device management tools on both Android and Apple devices. It should be possible on Apple’s systems, as you can already prevent use of AirDrop on managed iPhones. All the same, business entities will likely want to constrain this new opportunity for data exfiltration.

Will Apple put a stop to it? I hope not. Because while I understand how important and complex it is to maintain security and privacy across Apple’s ecosystem, we do exist in a multi-platform world — and there does seem to be plenty of protection in place in how Google has approached it.

The other issue is regulation. Apple is having a horrible time with regulators, particularly in Europe. They seem unwilling or unable to listen to some of the company’s arguments concerning the need to protect the user experience. Is it not possible that Apple and Google could work together to turn this new feature into a “best practice” example of how to create this kind of multi-platform polarity without sacrificing security, privacy, or the unique nature of the different operating systems?

If it is possible, it will benefit customers on both platforms, and would give Apple a model it could show regulators to illustrate how compatibility can be done without sacrificing user experience.

Hacker or frenemy?

Apple, of course, might see Google’s new AirDrop trick as a direct attack against the sanctity of its platforms. Just over 20 years ago, Apple accused Real Networks of having the ethics of a hacker when the latter firm figured out how to undermine iTunes Digital Rights Management (DRM).

Might Apple feel the same way about Google’s move to open up AirDrop? We don’t yet know. But the company will need to think hard about how it responds to avoid yet more criticism. It is clearly good for Apple’s users to be able to exchange files with people on other platforms, as long as it does not impact their security.

It is sometimes better to follow the tide, rather than swim against it.

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