- Google recently got Android working with Apple AirDrop
- Some users are experiencing bugs related to Wi-Fi
- For now the feature is limited to phones in the Pixel 10 series
We were very pleased and more than a little surprised when Google announced that it had got AirDrop working on the Pixel 10 phones – without any help from Apple – but it seems that the new feature isn’t working quite as well as it should for some users.
As per reports rounded up by PiunikaWeb (via Android Central), the update is causing noticeable Wi-Fi connectivity issues. Apparently as soon as the Quick Share menu is opened in Android, Wi-Fi is turned off and the device can’t see any networks.
You can see some of the complaints for yourself over at the Pixel Phone Help forums and on Reddit. While some users have chimed in to say they’re having the same issue, it doesn’t look as though it’s affecting all that many people.
So far there has been no response from Google, and the official bug report hasn’t been dealt with either, at the time of writing. It’s also not clear if this is affecting a particular type of Android device or a particular version of Android.
Potential workarounds
According to Android Central, there are a couple of workarounds to try if you’ve been hit by the issue. First, you can completely remove the Quick Share extension via Settings: tap Apps then See all apps, then select the extension and pick Uninstall updates.
Second, you can toggle Wi-Fi off before using Quick Share, and toggle it back on afterwards. It’s not really an ideal fix, but will at least allow you to share something from your device (albeit via Bluetooth rather than Wi-Fi).
It’s not certain that the new AirDrop compatibility is causing this, but it’s likely. Google has clearly done some clever engineering behind the scenes, and it may be that existing Android software and hardware is struggling to keep up.
So far there has been no comment from Apple on all of this, though it’s unlikely to be happy at the hack. There are some good reasons why it won’t block the new Android connectivity, especially if it starts expanding to more phones and tablets.
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