What you need to know
- Samsung has started rolling out a One UI 8.5 update that brings AirDrop file sharing to the Galaxy S26 series.
- The feature allows Galaxy S26 users to send and receive files with iPhones, iPads, and Macs without third-party apps.
- A new “Share with Apple devices” toggle appears in Quick Share settings and is enabled by default after the update.
- The update is around 870MB and is currently limited to the Galaxy S26 lineup.
Earlier this week, Samsung revealed that the Galaxy S26 series will soon support sharing files over AirDrop with iPhones, and the company has now started rolling out the update that enables this feature.
Samsung has begun rolling out a new One UI 8.5 update for the Galaxy S26 series with build number ‘1AZCF’. The update is fairly large at around 870MB. Samsung doesn’t mention much in the changelog, and it doesn’t update the security patch level to March 2026, but it does introduce one important feature: support for file sharing over AirDrop.
After updating our device, we were able to see support for sharing files with Apple devices on our Galaxy S26 Ultra. Once updated, you can head to Settings > Connected devices > Quick Share, where you’ll find a new toggle for Share with Apple devices. The feature is enabled by default.
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(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Android Central)
We were able to send and receive files between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and an iPhone 16 Pro after the update. On both devices, visibility had to be set to ‘Everyone’ for it to work, but the experience was seamless without needing any third-party apps.
This means you can now share files between an iPhone and the Galaxy S26 easily. And it’s not limited to iPhones, as the update also supports file sharing with Macs and iPads.
Samsung isn’t the first to introduce this feature. Google added similar functionality to the Pixel 10 series in November last year and later expanded it to the Pixel 9 series. The Galaxy S26 launched in February 2026 without this feature, but it’s good to see Samsung finally bringing it through an update.
You will need to update your Galaxy S26 to the latest software version to use the feature. To do so, go to Settings > Software update > Check for updates, then download and install the latest update.
For now, the feature is limited to the Galaxy S26 series, but Samsung could expand it to older Galaxy devices in the future. We’ll keep you updated if that happens.
Android Central’s Take
This is one of those features that should’ve existed years ago. The whole Android vs iPhone file sharing mess has been unnecessarily painful, and Samsung finally fixing it is a big deal. The fact that it works natively, without any third-party apps, makes it even better.
