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I tested Tap to Share between the Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and the experience is remarkably seamless. You can tap the two phones together, bring their tops close to each other, or even hover one phone’s top over the other to trigger the connection.
Once the phones detect each other, their edges light up, and you hear a short chime, making the whole process feel a lot like the device-to-device handshake Apple has popularized.
Adamya Sharma / Android AuthorityTap to Share is a new Quick Share feature that lets you establish a sharing connection between two compatible Android phones by bringing their tops together. It is essentially a more natural way to start Quick Share without having to hunt through menus or find the recipient in a device list.
Once the phones are positioned correctly, the edges of both displays light up, and a chime confirms that the devices have detected each other. From there, you can choose what you want to share. If you simply bring two phones together without first selecting specific content, Tap to Share prompts you to share your contact information. You can choose to share:
You can also use Tap to Share to send photos, videos, files, website links, and other content through Quick Share.
Google’s existing Quick Share system supports nearby file transfers and, on supported devices, sharing with iPhones through AirDrop. Tap to Share itself is different, though. It is a phone-to-phone gesture used to initiate the connection and does not work between a Pixel and an iPhone. For iPhone sharing, you’ll still need to use the regular Quick Share workflow.
Adamya Sharma / Android AuthorityTap to Share is now rolling out to the Pixel 6 and newer Pixel phones running Android 17 or later.
Google says the feature will expand to more Android phones later this year, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8, with other Android devices expected to gain support as well.
There are a couple of limitations to keep in mind, though. The feature is not available for apps used in a Work Profile. It is enabled by default, except on devices with managed accounts. Also, both phones need NFC enabled for the feature to work.
You don’t necessarily have to select something to start Tap to Share. If you simply want to exchange contact information, here’s what you do:
If you haven’t selected anything to share beforehand, this contact-sharing prompt is the default starting point for Tap to Share.
You can also use the feature when you already know what you want to send. Tap to Share works with photos, videos, files, website links, and other content that you can normally send through Quick Share.
You can also initiate the process directly from Quick Share:
Quick Share content received on Android is stored in the Files app > Downloads > Quick Share folder.
Adamya Sharma / Android AuthorityAfter testing it between the Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold, the biggest advantage of Tap to Share is that it removes much of the friction normally associated with Quick Share.
Instead of opening the Share menu, finding Quick Share, and then browsing a list of nearby devices, you can simply place two phones side by side and let them figure it out.
The glowing edges and chime also provide an immediate indication that the phones have connected. In practice, I found that you don’t even need to make a firm physical tap. Bringing the tops close together, or hovering one over the other, was enough to trigger the handshake.
It gives Quick Share a much more physical, intuitive feel, and it’s probably the closest Android has come to making local sharing feel as effortless as tapping two Apple devices together.
Joe Maring / Android AuthorityTap to Share is enabled by default on supported devices unless the device has a managed account. If you don’t want to use it, just follow these steps:
Your regular Quick Share functionality will continue to work. Quick Share itself supports nearby sharing between Android devices and other supported platforms.
Joe Maring / Android AuthorityIf bringing the phones together doesn’t trigger anything, Google recommends trying a few things:
Google also recommends bringing devices close together when troubleshooting Quick Share, with Bluetooth enabled on both devices.
The placement of the NFC antenna is particularly important with Tap to Share. On the Pixel 11 series, Google has moved the NFC hardware toward the top of the phone specifically to make this new gesture more natural.
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