Privli vs AirDrop vs Quick Share
AirDrop and Quick Share are both excellent — until you try to share across ecosystems. AirDrop now reaches a few recent Android flagships through Quick Share, but that bridge is unofficial, file-only, and skips Windows and Linux. Quick Share covers Android, Windows and ChromeOS, but still has no iPhone app. Privli bridges every device you own — iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux, new or old — and stays fully offline, with no account and no data collection.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | AirDrop | Quick Share | Privli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Apple only (iPhone, iPad, Mac) | Android, Windows, ChromeOS | iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux |
| iPhone ↔ Android | Some new flagships | Some new flagships | Yes, any device |
| Works without internet | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Account required | Apple ID sign-in | Google account for contacts | None |
| Data collection | On-device (Apple) | On-device (Google) | Zero — no servers, no analytics |
| Clipboard sharing | Apple devices only | No | Yes, cross-platform |
| Linux support | No | No (3rd-party only) | Yes |
| Works with Android Quick Share | Some new flagships | Yes (it is Quick Share) | Yes (compatible) |
| Price | Free (Apple devices) | Free | Free; one-time purchase on iOS / Mac App Store |
AirDrop: seamless inside Apple, invisible outside it
Between iPhone, iPad and Mac, AirDrop is the gold standard — fast, direct, and effortless. In late 2025 Google bridged it to Quick Share, so a recent Pixel or Galaxy can now receive an AirDrop too — but only on a short list of newer flagships, only for files (never the clipboard), and never on Windows or Linux. That bridge is one Google reverse-engineered, not something Apple supports, so it can change at any time. For everyone else — an older Android, a budget phone, a PC, a Linux box — AirDrop still isn't an option.
Quick Share: Android and Windows, but not iPhone
Google's Quick Share (formerly Nearby Share) is AirDrop for the Android world, and it now ships on Windows too. On the latest Pixel and Galaxy phones it can even hand a file to an iPhone through AirDrop — but there is still no Quick Share app for iPhone or iPad, so Apple users can't start a share, and Linux has only unofficial community apps. Quick Share also leans on a Google account for contact-based visibility.
Privli: one app for every device, fully offline
Privli runs on all five platforms — iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux — and it is compatible with Android's built-in Quick Share, so it can reach stock Android phones that don't have Privli installed. Transfers go directly over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: no servers, no account, and no data collection. It is an AirDrop alternative built for people who don't live in a single ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
Can you AirDrop from an iPhone to an Android phone?
On some phones, now yes. Since late 2025 Google has bridged Quick Share to AirDrop, so recent Pixel (9 and 10) and Galaxy (S24, S25, S26) phones — plus a few newer Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, Honor and OnePlus models — can receive a file from an iPhone. It's limited to that flagship list, files only, and unofficial, so Apple could change it. For older phones, any PC, Linux, or clipboard sharing, use a cross-platform tool like Privli, which runs on all of them.
Does Quick Share work on iPhone?
There is no official Quick Share app for iPhone or iPad. Privli is compatible with the Quick Share protocol and runs on iOS, so it can bridge iPhone and Android.
What is the best cross-platform AirDrop alternative?
If you only own Apple devices, AirDrop is hard to beat. The moment you mix iPhone, Android, Windows or Linux, you need something cross-platform — Privli covers all five platforms and works with Android Quick Share.
Is there an AirDrop for Windows or Linux?
Windows has Google's Quick Share app; Linux has only community apps. Privli runs natively on both, plus macOS, iOS and Android.
Does Privli send my files through the cloud?
No. Privli transfers directly between your devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and no data is collected.