Quick Share: Name change of Google's Airdrop counterpart

After a long development process, Google's Airdrop alternative has apparently finally arrived: The company is renaming the app and function once again and it is now simply called "Quick Share". It allows easy sharing of files between Android smartphones and with computers.

In mid-2023, Google's software for easily sharing content between devices under the name "Nearby Share" left the beta stage, which had been running since 2020. It upgrades the function for Android and Windows, which has been known to Apple users for some time. Until then, Android users had to make do with proprietary apps and SMB network shares, for example, which was slow, error-prone and comparatively fiddly.

Name changes according to development progress

In February 2024, the software was renamed from "Nearby Share" to "Quick Share from Google". Prior to this, the Samsung app "Quick Share" with the same function had to be integrated into Nearby Share. The addition "from Google" was therefore intended to indicate that it was no longer the Samsung app, but was now a cross-device implementation from Google.

Now, more than a year later, the changelog for Quick Share lists the new name change: "The app has been renamed from 'Quick Share from Google' to 'Quick Share'." This is the only change listed for the current version 1.0.2113.1 of the apps. The renaming also marks the final farewell to Samsung's roots and the complete move to the ecosystem managed by Google.

The first security vulnerability in Quick Share became known in the middle of last year. It allowed attackers to send data to Android and Windows devices without confirmation. A second leak allowed malicious actors to penetrate communication as a man-in-the-middle. Both vulnerabilities have been patched in version 1.0.1724.0 and natural newer versions of Quick Share.

(dmk)