How to Use Quick Share (Nearby Share) on Android

To use Quick Share, turn it on in Quick Settings, open a file or photo and tap Share, choose Quick Share, then select the nearby device and accept the transfer on the other phone.

Quick Share is Android’s built-in way to move photos, videos, documents, and links between nearby devices without cables, apps, or accounts. If you remember the feature as Nearby Share, that is the same tool: in 2024 Google combined Nearby Share with Samsung’s own Quick Share into one unified system and kept the Quick Share name. That means it now works smoothly across most modern Android phones and Samsung Galaxy devices.

Turn on Quick Share first

Before you send anything, make sure the feature is ready on both phones.

1. Swipe down to open Quick Settings.
2. Turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Quick Share uses both together for speed.
3. Find and enable the Quick Share tile. On some phones it may still read Nearby Share until a system update renames it.
4. Keep the two phones close, ideally within about a foot of each other.

Quick Share does not use your mobile data for the transfer. It builds a direct link between the two devices, so it works even when you have no signal at all, which is handy on trains or in areas with poor coverage.

Send a file with Quick Share

Once both phones are ready, sending is quick.

1. Open the item you want to send, such as a photo in Gallery or Google Photos, a file in Files, or a page in your browser.
2. Tap the Share icon.
3. Choose Quick Share from the share sheet. Your phone starts scanning for nearby devices.
4. When the other device’s name appears, tap it.
5. On the receiving phone, tap Accept. The transfer begins and finishes in seconds for most photos.

You can select several items at once before tapping Share, which is the fastest way to move a batch of holiday photos to a friend standing next to you.

Transfer speed depends on both phones. Because Quick Share uses a direct Wi-Fi link once the devices pair over Bluetooth, a folder of photos usually moves in seconds, while a long video may take a minute or two. Keep both screens on until the progress bar completes, as locking a phone mid-transfer can pause or cancel it. If you send the wrong file by mistake, you can tap Cancel on either device before it finishes.

Control who can find you

Quick Share lets you decide who is allowed to see your device. Open the Quick Share settings and choose a visibility level.

Setting visibility to Everyone is useful for a one-off transfer, but switch it back to Contacts or Your devices afterwards so strangers cannot send you unwanted files in public. On many phones the Everyone setting automatically times out after a few minutes, returning to a more private mode on its own, which is a sensible safety net if you forget.

When the other phone will not appear

If the receiving device does not show up, run through a short checklist. Confirm Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and location are on for both phones. Wake both screens, because a sleeping phone stops advertising itself. Move the devices closer together. Finally, ask the other person to set their visibility to Everyone or Contacts for a moment. If a phone is very low on space, incoming files can fail to save, so it is worth learning how to free up storage on your phone before a big transfer.

Quick Share versus moving to a new phone

Quick Share is perfect for a handful of files, but it is not the right tool for everything. If you are setting up a brand new phone and want your apps, contacts, messages, and settings to come along too, a dedicated migration flow is faster and more complete. Our guide on how to transfer data from Android to Android walks through that full setup process, while Quick Share stays best for sharing individual items on the spot. As a rough rule, reach for Quick Share when you have something specific to hand to a person nearby, and use the new-phone migration flow when you want an entire device copied across.

Sharing photos safely

Because Quick Share moves real files instantly, double-check what you are sending, especially screenshots that may contain personal details. If you ever send the wrong image or delete one you meant to keep, our guide on how to recover deleted photos on Android explains the recovery options built into Google Photos and your phone’s trash folder.

Quick Share has quietly become one of the most convenient features on Android. It needs no account, no cable, and no internet, and thanks to the 2024 merger it now spans regular Android phones and Samsung Galaxy devices alike. Learn the Quick Settings toggle, set a sensible visibility level, and you can hand a photo or a document to the person beside you in seconds. If you like sharing content to bigger screens as well, you may enjoy our walkthrough on how to cast your Android screen to a TV.