A new report says some Samsung phones running One UI 8.5 are now showing a cross-device sharing toggle that looks a lot like an AirDrop-style feature, but the option still isn’t functional in real use.
According to Android Authority, Samsung has been working with Google on a sharing feature for the Galaxy lineup that mirrors the kind of quick nearby transfer experience many people associate with Apple’s AirDrop. The feature previously showed up in connection with the Galaxy S26 series, but users are now spotting the same switch on older phones too.
Multiple owners of the Galaxy S22, S23, S24, and Galaxy S25 series reportedly saw the option after installing One UI 8.5 beta builds. Some users on the stable One UI 8 release are apparently seeing it as well, which suggests the interface is being pushed more broadly than expected.
The catch is that the feature still doesn’t actually do anything. Even though the toggle is visible in settings, users say the back-end service has not been activated yet, so the sharing function can’t be used in practice.
That points to a familiar rollout pattern: Samsung may be exposing the user-facing switch first while the server-side support is still being prepared. If that’s the case, the feature could become usable later as part of the broader One UI 8.5 stable rollout.
For now, Samsung hasn’t said when older Galaxy flagships will get access to the fully working version. Still, the fact that the option is already appearing on devices outside the S26 family hints that Samsung may be planning a wider release once everything is switched on.
