Google made a lot of announcements on Wednesday, all of them hours before its official Made by Google event. The company announced the new Pixel 11 series (including the Pixel 11 Pro Fold), the Galaxy Watch 5, and even the long-rumored Pixel Tag. There were so many announcements, one would be forgiven for assuming it was a hardware-only event.
And yet, Google also revealed a number of software features, as well. The Pixel Watch received much of the attention here, as the company announced that its smartwatches will soon track trends in insulin resistance, blood pressure, and sleep habits, but the Pixel wasn’t left out of the conversation either. In fact, Android devices across the board are getting one new feature that seems particularly useful: Tap to Share.
How Google’s new Tap to Share works
Tap to Share appears to live up to its name. According to Google, all you need to do to use it is take your compatible Android device and place it near another compatible Android device. When you do, you’ll pull up each other’s contact cards, making it an easy way to share phone numbers, email addresses, and other contact info with someone new on Android.
However, the feature isn’t limited to digital business cards. You can also use it to share photos, videos, and other files from your Android to another. To use it, open the file in question, then launch the Share Sheet. Then, bring your phone close to the other user’s. Now, instead of your contact cards, Android will send over your file.
While Google might have announced this feature alongside the launch of the Pixel 11, it works with a lot of Google phones. The company says you’ll be able to use Tap to Share on Pixel 6 and newer, which spans the entirety of Google’s current supported Pixel devices. In addition, Google says Tap to Share is coming to some Samsung Galaxy phones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8, and Flip 8, and will expand to even more devices by the end of 2026.
Tap to Share is, of course, similar to Apple’s NameDrop feature on iOS, down to the contact card default. However, Android beat Apple to the punch originally. This is essentially an evolution of Android Beam, a discontinued feature that let you send data over NFC. And while the feature won’t work with iPhones, Google and Apple do offer a quick sharing option for users trying to share from Android to iPhone, and vice versa.
