Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOGL.US) "sneak attack" AirDrop! Self-developed technology breaks through the transmission barrier between Pixel and iPhone.

Alphabet Inc.'s Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOGL.US) announced that it has developed a way for the latest Pixel smartphones to exchange images and other files with iPhones using Apple Inc.'s AirDrop protocol (AAPL.US). This move is aimed at weakening the exclusivity of the closed ecosystem carefully maintained by competitors. AirDrop has been around for over a decade, built into Apple Inc.'s software platforms, enabling fast wireless file transfers between iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. Alphabet Inc. Class C has also provided a similar feature for Android systems, called "Quick Share." In an unexpected statement released on Thursday, Alphabet Inc. Class C said, "Sharing moments with family and friends should not be hindered by the device you use - sharing should be easy." A spokesperson for Alphabet Inc. Class C stated that Apple Inc. was not involved in the development of this feature. The spokesperson said, "We developed this feature entirely on our own." He added that Alphabet Inc. Class C hired a third-party security company, and the entire setup "has undergone a thorough review by our internal privacy and security teams." Apple Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dave Clydemach, Vice President of Platform Security and Privacy at Alphabet Inc. Class C, wrote in another blog post, "This feature does not use any workarounds; the connection is direct and peer-to-peer, meaning your data will never pass through a server, shared content will not be saved, and no additional data will be shared." Specifically, to receive files from Android friends and family, iPhone users must set AirDrop to "Everyone for 10 minutes" in order to appear in the receiver's list. Like regular AirDrop transfers, users can accept or decline incoming requests based on the sender's name displayed on the screen. Currently, this feature requires the use of the latest Pixel 10 series devices from Alphabet Inc. Class C, and is still being gradually rolled out. In several early tests, exchanging images between the Pixel 10 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max was effective, as well as sending files to nearby Mac devices from the Pixel. As a privacy measure, AirDrop automatically resets to only receive files from "Contacts" after each 10-minute time limit expires. Therefore, when sending and receiving files with the Pixel 10, make sure to set it to "Everyone for 10 minutes." Alphabet Inc. Class C positions its new solution as another boon for consumers, allowing users to easily share media content across operating systems. Alphabet Inc. Class C compares it to the rise of RCS (Rich Communication Services), which makes it easier for iPhone and Android users to send and share high-quality photos and videos. Under pressure from regulators, Apple Inc. adopted this standard last year. In the past, third-party attempts to replicate Apple Inc.'s iconic iPhone features have not been recognized by the company. For example, in 2023, an instant messaging app called Beeper tried to introduce iMessage support for Android, but Apple Inc. quickly blocked the attempt. Beeper has since been acquired by Automattic Inc., which has avoided further public controversy on this matter. Similarly, when Palm Inc. was still in the smartphone business, it tried to enable its Palm Pre phone to sync with iTunes, but this workaround was also shut down by Apple Inc.