Here’s What Android’s Upcoming Tap to Share Could Look Like

It’s no secret that Google is working on a new Tap to Share to make sharing files between phones much faster and easier. Likely part of Android 17, the feature will let users transfer photos, videos, contacts, and more by simply tapping two phones together. A fresh leak now gives us a sneak peek at how it could look and work.

Android’s upcoming Tap to Share surface in a new leak

9to5Google has recently come across a new pop-up on a Pixel device that gives an idea of how Tap to Share works. The pop-up describes that you can instantly share contact info, photos, videos, links, location, and more. To use the feature, you first need to unlock your phone, then overlap the top of both phones with their screens facing up. Make sure you keep the phones together until they glow.

The pop-up also suggests that if the phones do not connect correctly, users may need to change their positioning. For example, they will have to try holding the phones back to back instead of overlapping them top to top. This is likely because different Android phones put their NFC sensors in different locations.

Unsurprisingly, Tap to Share is not currently functional yet, as it is still in development. However, we can see a brief glow animation (here) when the two phones interact, confirming the connection is active. This also makes the process more visible and easier to understand.

The outlet also notes that at least Samsung users will be able to share their contact card (vCard) with others. As of now, the company appears to have designed this Apple NameDrop-style feature with Samsung phones in mind. However, it could become available on other Android devices as development progresses.

A few days ago, we also got our early hands on One UI 9’s Tap to Share within Quick Share. The approach looks similar to the stock Android, as it requires users to overlap the top of both phones to start sharing. However, Samsung might tweak some areas to make them look different, reflecting its custom skin’s design language.