Sharing photos, videos, and other documents between different devices without loss of quality has always been rather tricky. Sure, many third-party apps exist that do the job, but wouldn’t it be nice if there was a native feature to quickly and easily share files? Say hello to Samsung’s Quick Share solution. Find out what is Quick Share and how to use it to send files to Samsung and non-Samsung devices.
Content
- What Is Quick Share in Samsung Galaxy Phones
- Types of Quick Share
- How to Share Files With Nearby Galaxy Devices
- How to Send Files as a Link
- How to View Link Sharing History
- How to Stop Sharing a File
- How to Send Files as Link in the Samsung Messages App
- Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Share was launched in 2020 on select Samsung Galaxy phones but it’s now available on all Samsung Galaxy devices running Android 10+ or One UI 2.0+. What’s more, Quick Share also works on Samsung laptops running Windows.
Quick Share works in two ways – you can send files to nearby people or to users anywhere in the world.
This method allows you to share files with people who are nearby. This is possible using Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth technology where the sender device looks for a nearby Samsung Galaxy device and then initiates a transfer. You don’t need to be connected to an internet connection or a Wi-Fi router. However, Wi-Fi must be turned on to share files. Furthermore, this method works between Samsung Galaxy devices only. You cannot use it to send files to non-Samsung phones.
You must be wondering how is this methods different from a regular Bluetooth transfer. Quick Share is definitely faster than a Bluetooth transfer both in terms of data transfer and connecting the devices as Quick Share doesn’t require you to pair devices together beforehand. Moreover, just like Bluetooth, Quick Share is quite secure as you won’t receive files without accepting them.
Recap: use this method when the recipient is near you and owns a Samsung Galaxy device.
Secondly, Quick Share lets you share files with people anywhere in the world using the link sharing feature. The sharing method was earlier available as a separate feature but Samsung merged it with Quick Share. So, if link sharing is missing on your phone, you must look for it under Quick Share.
The link sharing feature works on all devices and platforms, be it non-Samsung Android phones like OnePlus, Google Pixel, etc., or even iPhone. The only requirement is that the sender must have a Samsung Galaxy device.
The selected file is first uploaded to Samsung Cloud for three days before being automatically deleted. Meanwhile, a unique link for the file is generated, which you must share with the recipient. Within three days, the recipient can download the file at any time. This method allows you to transfer up to 5GB.
Recap: use this method to share files when the receiver is not nearby, is using a non-Samsung phone, or cannot download the files right away.
- Launch the Samsung “My Files” app on your Samsung Galaxy device and open the file that you want to send. You can share files from any other apps like Gallery as well.
- Tap on the “Share” button.
- Choose “Quick Share” from the share menu.
- Your Samsung Galaxy phone will start looking for nearby Samsung Galaxy devices. Devices that have Quick Sharing enabled will show up in the “Share to nearby Galaxy devices” section. Tap on the recipient device.
- In case the recipient doesn’t show up, make sure to enable Quick Share on the recipient device by going to “Settings→ Advanced features→ Quick Share”.
Tip: You can enable Quick Share from “Quick Settings” panel as well.
- Tap on “Who can share with you”.
- Select “Contacts only” if the sender is in your contacts list or “Anyone nearby” if they aren’t in your list. Also, make sure to unlock the receiving device in order to receive the files.
- After you select the recipient device, a confirmation message will show up on the receipt device. Tap on “Accept” to allow the file transfer. The file will be transferred immediately.
- Open Samsung “My Files” app on the recipient device and go to the “Downloads” folder to view the files received via Quick Transfer.
How to Send Files as a Link
To send your files as a link, follow these steps:
- Open the “My Files” app and find the file to share.
- Tap on the “Share” icon.
- Choose “Quick Share” from the menu. On older Samsung Galaxy devices, you might see a separate Link sharing icon. Tap on it.
- You will see two options in the “Share as link” section: “Share using QR Code” and “Share in an app”. When you tap on either option, your file will be uploaded to Samsung Cloud.
- Tap on “Share using QR code” to generate a QR code for your link. Take a screenshot of the QR code and send it to the receiver. The receiver must scan the QR code from the image to receive the file.
- Or, tap on “Share in an app” to send the file as a link through the preferred app. Select the desired app and send the link to the receiver. Alternatively, tap on “Copy link” to copy the link to the clipboard if you want to share it via some other app that doesn’t show up in the list of apps.
- On the receiver side, tap on the link to open it and hit the “Download” button to save the received files. The downloaded files will show up in the “Downloads” folder.
How to View Link Sharing History
To see the history of sent and received files via link sharing method, go to “Settings→ Advanced features→ Quick share→ Link sharing history”.
Here you will see the list of files along with their expiration date. Please note that the files will be deleted from Samsung Cloud only and not from your phone.
How to Stop Sharing a File
If you accidentally sent a link of a wrong file to someone, you don’t need to delete that file from your phone. You can simply stop sharing the file by turning off its link.
- Go to phone “Settings→ Advanced features→ Quick share→ Link sharing history”.
- Tap on the file that you want to stop sharing. Press the “Stop Sharing” button at the bottom.
How to Send Files as Link in the Samsung Messages App
You can use the Quick Share feature to send images as links instead of MMS in regular messages. The receiver would need to tap on the link to see the image you sent.
- Create a new message or open any existing chat thread in the Samsung Messages app.
- Hit the “Gallery” icon.
- Tap on the cloud icon at the bottom to turn link sharing on.
Pro Tip: Tap on the same cloud icon to turn link sharing off in the Messages app.
- Once enabled, select an image that you want to send to the contact. The image will show up in the typing area.
- Tap on the Send icon to generate its link and send that to the user.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to fix Quick Share not working?
If you are unable to share files via Quick Share, make sure Quick Share is enabled on the other device. Also, try to clear the cache for the Quick Feature on both the devices. To do so, go to “Settings→ App→ System app→ Quick share→ Storage→ Clear cache”.
What’s the difference between Quick Share and Nearby Share?
Samsung’s Quick Share and Android’s Nearby Share are quite similar to one another. You will find both of them on Samsung Galaxy devices. The major difference lies in terms of supported devices. The Nearby feature of Quick Share only works on Samsung Galaxy devices whereas Android’s Nearby Share works on all Android phones. Also, Quick Share lets you share files as links to anyone in the world which isn’t possible with Nearby Share.
Can you Quick share from Samsung Galaxy phone to iPhone?
You cannot use the nearby feature of Quick Share to send files from a Samsung Galaxy phone to an iPhone. However, you can use the link-sharing feature to create a link and send it to an iPhone.
All screenshots by Mehvish Mushtaq.
Mehvish Mushtaq
Mehvish is a tech lover from Kashmir. With a degree in computer engineering, she's always been happy to help anyone who finds technology challenging. She's been writing about technology for over six years, and her favorite topics include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Windows, social media, and web apps.
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FAQs
What is the use of quick share in Samsung? ›
Quick Share is a new sharing service for sending photos, videos, and files with your friends and family. is available on previous Galaxy series when upgraded to Android 10. File sharing has never been so easy on a Galaxy.
What is Quick share and how do you use it? ›Select the images you want to share by long-pressing. Tap on the Share icon and tap on Quick Share from the different sharing options available. The app will start scanning to find nearby devices available. Once the device you want to share with shows up, tap on it.
How do I share files between two Samsung phones? ›- Navigate to a file you'd like to share.
- Tap the Share icon, and then tap Nearby Share. Tap Turn on, if needed.
- Your phone will begin looking for another device. Hold your phone and the other device close together; make sure both devices are unlocked. ...
- Tap Send when it appears.
What are the advantages of using Quick Share? Quick Share is quite similar to Wi-Fi Direct and is easier to use. It can be used to share images, videos, documents, links, and any type of file with any Galaxy device. Quick Share is quite similar to Apple's AirDrop feature, thanks to its effortless nature.
Is quick share same as NFC? ›The only other prerequisite was that the devices must be running Android 10.0 or later. Samsung Quick Share's approach to sharing files isn't based on Bluetooth or near field communication (NFC). With Quick Share, a Samsung device uploads the selected files to Samsung Cloud.
How do I share apps on my Samsung phone? ›- Open the Google Play Store app .
- At the top right, tap the profile icon.
- Tap Manage apps & devices.
- In the “Overview” tab, next to “Share apps,” tap Send.
- Select which apps to share.
- Tap Send.
- Choose who to send the apps to.
- Download the AirDroid app for free on your Android and iPhone devices. ...
- Next, select the 'my devices' tab and click 'add device'. ...
- Now that both your devices are connected, you can easily send your files over to your iPhone device from your Android/iPhone.
- 1 Tap Settings.
- 2 Tap on Connections.
- 3 Toggle the switch to activate Bluetooth.
- 4 Device will scan for nearby devices. Tap on which device you want to pair with.
- 5 Verify that the pin is the same on both devices and then tap OK.
- 6 The devices are paired. To unpair, select Settings beside the Paired device and tap Unpair.
Step 1: Swipe down the Quick Settings menu from the top of the home screen on both phones. Step 2: Tap on the Bluetooth icon to turn on Bluetooth on both phones. Step 3: On any phone, tap and hold the Bluetooth icon from Quick Settings. When the Bluetooth screen opens, tap on the Pair New Device option.
Is Samsung Quick Share secure? ›With Samsung Private Share on Galaxy S21, you can safely remove location metadata from photos before sharing, as well as control who can access the content you send and how long it's available. Only a designated receiver can open files. Files cannot be re-shared but can only be read.
How do I transfer files from phone to phone? ›
- Turn on your new device.
- Tap Start.
- When asked, make sure you connect to a Wi-Fi network.
- Choose to copy apps and data from your old device. Recommended: If you have a cable to connect your devices, follow the on-screen instructions to copy your data. ...
- Check your texts, photos, and videos.
Open Samsung “My Files” app on the recipient device and go to the “Downloads” folder to view the files received via Quick Transfer.
Can Samsung pair with two phones? ›But you can only pair your watch with one phone at a time. You can't pair one watch with multiple phones at the same time. You can switch which phone your watch is paired with but you need to reset your watch to factory settings first. Then you can pair your watch to the new phone.
How do I transfer my apps from my old phone to my new phone? ›- sign in to your Google account on your existing phone – or create one if you don't already have one.
- back up your data if you haven't already.
- turn on your new phone and tap start.
- when you get the option, select “copy apps and data from your old phone”
41 seconds to send from the Galaxy Z Flip with Quick Share to the Galaxy S10+ with Direct Share. 26 seconds to send from the Galaxy S20 Ultra with Quick Share to the Galaxy S10+ with Direct Share.
Is quick share same a Bluetooth? ›As long as your Galaxy phone runs Android 10/One UI 2.0 or above, you can share files using Quick Share. The feature uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology to find the nearest Galaxy device and then initiates a transfer, like AirDrop on iPhones.
Should I use NFC or Bluetooth? ›NFC is best used over short distances to securely send small amounts of data, hence is commonly used for access control and payments. On the other hand, Bluetooth, whilst not as secure opens up a larger connection range and is most often used on wireless devices such as headphones and audio speakers.
Which is better NFC or Bluetooth? ›As we know both NFC and Bluetooth can be used to transfer images, videos, and documents form one device to another. But NFC is said to be much faster for transferring the data. NFC is actually said to be 10 times faster than Bluetooth. If we are talking about data transfer, then speed does matter.
Does quick share decrease quality? ›Also, Quick Share doesn't harm the quality of your photos and videos during the file transfer. Sharing a photo on WhatsApp, for example, will reduce its resolution to shrink its file size, meaning the recipient will not be able to see it clearly.
How to use Android Quick share? ›- From the top of your screen, swipe down.
- Tap Nearby Share . If you can't find Nearby Share , from the top of the screen, swipe down twice and tap Edit . Then drag Nearby Share to your Quick Settings.
- Choose your options: Visible to nearby devices: Your device is only visible if this option is turned on.
What is direct share on my Samsung phone? ›
Direct Share is a feature that allows apps to show app-specific options directly in the system Intent chooser dialog. Users can then jump directly into your app when sharing content from another app.
Can I transfer all my apps from one Samsung phone to another? ›Using CLONEit to Move the Apps between Samsung. There is another application that you may have heard of, and it is CLONEit. This app can also help you to learn how to transfer Apps from Samsung to Samsung and to other Android devices as well. This application has been in the market for quite some time.
What is the best way to transfer from Android to iPhone? ›Method 1: Transfer data via Move to iOS
My go-to method for file transferring is Apple's own Move to iOS service. It will be preloaded on your iPhone so all you have to do is download the Move to IOS app on your Android device via the Google Play Store.
Pictures, videos, and music can be shared from your iOS devices, like iPhones, iPads, and Macs, right on your Samsung TV and Samsung Smart Monitor with AirPlay 2. You'll need to make sure your TV and Smart Monitor are connected to the internet, and that your iOS device is connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Can I Nearby share from Samsung to iPhone? ›Does Nearby Share Work with iPhone? The Nearby Share option does not work with the iOS platforms. It is exclusively designed for Android gadgets to send files between them. This file-sharing option is applicable with Chromebooks but does not support other operating systems.
How do I transfer text messages from Android to Android? ›Turn on the Bluetooth feature on both Android devices and pair them by confirming the passcode. Now, go to the Messaging app on the source device and select the messages that you wish to transfer. Go to its Settings and choose to "Send" or "Share" the selected SMS threads.
Can you transfer data from a Samsung without Smart Switch? ›Not just Samsung, you can use Dr. Fone – Switch to transfer data to any Android or iOS device. It supports the direct device to device data transfer even if they run on different platforms. Users can select the type of content that they wish to move beforehand.
Does Samsung switch transfer everything? ›If your old phone is a Galaxy, you'll be able to transfer just about everything, including all your texts, media content, Wi-Fi details and even your home screen settings.
Is it possible to mirror someone else's phone? ›There are lots of 3rd party options that you can look into. These include Webex, Zoom, Team Viewer, and a number of others. Once you get up and running, mirror someone's phone is relatively easy using these methods. Just start mirroring and you'll see everything they're doing on their phone right now on your TV.
Can you mirror a phone to another phone? ›You can use Miracast to mirror one phone to another phone without having to use Wi-Fi. Simply download the app and connect the two devices with each other. You can read up on guides in order to find out the required using steps.
How do I find hidden apps on my Samsung? ›
5. How Do I Unhide a Hidden App? You can go to your Samsung secure folder, long press the screen, and you can see more options, click on the settings icon, then you will go to Home screen settings, tap on Hide Apps, and you can see all hidden apps on your Samsung, and you can remove them to unhide.
Does Samsung share your data? ›Samsung does not provide users' personal data to external parties, but may provide it for specific reasons such as laws and regulations, investigation purposes, fee settlement, and statistics.
What is the fastest way to send files? ›The fastest way to send documents is an online file transfer service. WeTransfer and MailBigFile are two services that allow to transfer big files online for free. The size limit is 2GB and they both allow to send the file directly to your recipient's inbox.
Where is connected devices on Android? ›...
If you turn off notifications, you can still see devices near you by opening your phone's Settings app.
- Open your phone's Settings app.
- Tap Google Devices & sharing. Devices.
- Turn Scan for nearby devices on or off.
- Open the Quick settings panel by swiping down from the top of the screen using two fingers. ...
- Tap your TV from the list of Available devices, and then tap Start now. ...
- Your device's screen will now appear on the TV.
Samsung's Quick Share lets you share files with other Samsung smartphones. The UI is simple to use and is available to all Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI 2.1 or higher (which at the time of this writing is the Galaxy S10e and newer). And best of all, it doesn't require an active data connection.
Do I need a separate Samsung account for each device? ›A Samsung account is a membership service that lets you enjoy Samsung content on smartphones, tablets, websites, TVs etc. You can use multiple Samsung services with one Samsung account, without having to register for each service separately.
Can you put 2 SIM cards in a Samsung phone? ›The Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e all let you use two separate phone numbers on your phone. That's because the new phones use a hybrid SIM slot, which lets you either install one SIM and one MicroSD memory card, or two separate SIM cards.
Does Samsung phones have two SIM cards? ›The S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra come with a new, more compact dual SIM card tray. This tray has space for one nano SIM card on the top, and another on the underside. Follow the steps below for more details on using two SIM cards with your S21. Find out more about how to install a SIM or memory card on your galaxy device.
Why have my apps not transferred to my new Samsung phone? ›Clear app cache.
Tap Clear cache. If you want, you can also clear the app's data by tapping Clear data, and then tapping OK. From there, you can restart the content transfer.
What is the best app to transfer data from old to new phone? ›
1. MobileTrans App. MobileTrans App is one of the best apps to transfer data from Android to Android without a PC. You can try to use MobileTrans App to transfer up to 8 types of phone data between devices, including contacts, messages, photos, music, videos, documents, apps, and more data.
Which is the best app to transfer data from old Android to new Android? ›You have a few different options to transfer your data between Android devices. Aside from the built-in Google transfer app, you can use Samsung Smart Switch to move to a new Galaxy device or do a Google Drive backup, or even transfer data manually via a PC.
Is Samsung Quick share secure? ›With Samsung Private Share on Galaxy S21, you can safely remove location metadata from photos before sharing, as well as control who can access the content you send and how long it's available. Only a designated receiver can open files. Files cannot be re-shared but can only be read.
What is better Nearby share or quick share? ›Quick Share is Samsung's proprietary file-sharing service and an alternative to Google's Nearby Share. It is faster and more feature-rich compared to Nearby Share. It is available on Samsung smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
What is the difference between nearby share and quick share? ›The major difference lies in terms of supported devices. The Nearby feature of Quick Share only works on Samsung Galaxy devices whereas Android's Nearby Share works on all Android phones. Also, Quick Share lets you share files as links to anyone in the world which isn't possible with Nearby Share.
How long do a quick share links last? ›Quick Share link only last 2 days active for the receiver to download how to extend this time limit ?
Who can see quick share? ›Step 1: Launch the Settings app on your Samsung phone and scroll down to tap on Advanced features. Step 2: Tap on Quick Share. Step 3: Under Nearby sharing, tap on 'Who can share with you' and choose Contacts only or Anyone nearby from the menu that pops up.
Is Nearby Share same as Bluetooth? ›Like Apple's AirDrop, Nearby Share uses a Bluetooth connection to create a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi network between the devices. That means you don't need to be connected to Wi-Fi or data pack to use Nearby Share.
What does Nearby Share do on Android phone? ›You can send and receive files or apps with Android devices near you. Important: This feature may not yet work in your region. You may still find this sharing flow even if you have the latest version of the app.
How far away does Nearby Share work? ›We might not be near other folks as much these days, but Nearby Share will work if you're sending stuff to your roommate, partner, and even when you're standing 6 feet apart from your friends and family (provided they have Android phones). Here's how to use it. Does Your Phone Support Nearby Share?