Two Months Later, Apple Has Still Not Blocked Airdrop Support on Google Pixel Phones

The growth of Apple's ecosystem walls has gradually slowed down over the years, thanks to the EU's intervention, fueled by Google's rapid efforts to dismantle the walls slowly. RCS was the first big step for Google to jump over these walls, and when the brand announced that the Pixel 10 could now natively AirDrop files via Quick Share in November 2025, it did not come as a huge surprise.

Still, we expected Apple to puncture Google's tyres, come up with a rebuttal, just like it did when Nothing tried bridging the gap between iMessage and Android with Nothing chats. We expected an emergency iOS update through a security patch, or a change to the AirDrop protocol that would break the functionality. But two months later, the Pixel 10 (and Pixel 9 soon) remains happy flinging photos to iPhones. So, why has Apple not blocked AirDrop support on Pixel phones?

The security patch that never came

Technically, Apple could break this tomorrow. As we explained in our how to AirDrop files guide for the Pixel 10, Google's implementation essentially mimics the AirDrop protocol by broadcasting Bluetooth LE packets that trick the iPhone into thinking it's talking to another Apple device. It's a clever masquerade, but it still relies on Apple's rules. Change the handshake protocol, and it would instantly stop working.

So why hasn't Apple already done it? The answer might be a bit simpler, and some of it has to do with Apple switching to Wi-Fi Aware. It's an open Wi-Fi device discovery standard that was recently imposed upon manufacturers by the EU to make cross-device discovery much easier. It's essentially like Bluetooth now, and AirDrop uses the same standard.

Apple can't stop Google from using AirDrop without breaking it for themselves. Pixel phones are able to transmit using the "Everyone" setting on AirDrop. But to block Pixel phones, Apple might have to fundamentally change how AirDrop discovers new Apple devices, which could cause issues with lakhs of legit Apple devices.

The EU is the invisible hand

Speaking of Wi-Fi Aware, the EU takes all the credit here, as it enforced manufacturers to adopt the technology. After forcing Apple to adopt USB-C and open up NFC for third-party wallets, the EU continues to closely monitor the interoperability concerns.

If Apple were to deliberately engineer a software update to solely block Android users from sharing files, it would look less like protecting users and more like anti-competitive gatekeeping, which the EU keeps a close tab on. Besides, in 2026, blocking a functional, secure cross-platform tool for no reason could warrant a summon, and Apple may try to avoid that.

The social lock-in is dying

The friction that Apple used to bully Android users is slowly dying. For years, Apple controlled the Blue bubble-Green bubble war, only for Google to hop over the tall wall and use EU to dismantle that bullying tactic, and it's essentially using the leverage to jump the wall once again. 

Google, in this scenario, is like that kid who constantly troubles his neighbors, and they eventually stop telling him not to bounce over their fence. iPhones now support RCS, and although RCS messages do appear as green bubbles, sending high-quality photos, videos, message reactions, and more is no longer a hassle between the two platforms like it used to be.

This might sound like a stretch, but I suspect Apple knows that the Social Lock-In is dying. Capitalising on the same would potentially lead to both a legal backlash, which might not be worth the hassle. Therefore, Apple might be done competing on "who can share the files" but on "Who has the better phone", which is a scary shift for a brand that has relied on ecosystem lock-in for almost the entirety of its existence.

Apple might be playing the long game

There's another take here, which is very un-Apple-ey and maybe a bit too cynical, but it's possible that Apple might just not care. Transferring files to a Pixel smartphone via AirDrop isn't as seamless, as it requires the iPhone user to launch their Control Centre and toggle an option.

Apple still wins with this by getting to keep its high ground while the Android user does the heavy lifting. The whole premise of AirDrop is that it should work just like that, and this workaround negates the same.

AirDrop support won't make iPhone users switch to Pixel, but make life slightly easier for iPhone users who already exist. By ignoring the hack, Apple avoids the PR nightmare of being the bad guy while losing virtually zero sales.

For now, the gate is open. The Walled Garden has an entrance, and the guards are looking the other way. Perhaps they're smirking at each other, thinking their boss inside would press a button to deny  entry to the visitors, or perhaps they let them enter because the boss knows they can't harm the ecosystem. Either way, AirDrop continues to work with Pixel phones, and as Google prepares to enable it on the Pixel 9, the feared patch is nowhere to be seen.