Fix: Quick Share Not Working on Samsung Galaxy Phones

To compete with Apple’s file-sharing feature AirDrop, Samsung made a feature called Quick Share which lets you send and receive files in full quality, and it works at nearly the same speeds as AirDrop. Samsung has the best ecosystem experience with an Android phone, and they seamlessly integrate with Windows laptops.

Videos, APKs, documents, Music- you can share all sorts of files using Quick Share. Like all software features, it does suffer from occasional bugs. It’s a common issue with this feature, and it’s because of inadequate optimization from developers. This article will show you how to fix these issues.

Is your device compatible with Quick Share?

All Samsung phones running One UI 2.1 and above are compatible with the Quick Share feature. You cannot use this feature if you have an older Samsung device that isn’t compatible with this version. Go to Settings- About Phone- Software Information and check which version of One UI you’re currently on.

If it doesn’t work, you can use third-party sites like Snapdrop or Bluetooth transfer if the file sizes are small. Alternatively, you can send a link using the Link Sharing feature.

How to fix Quick Share not working on your Samsung phone?

1. Check your Quick Share Settings

First, ensure your phone’s screen is on during the file transfer. If it isn’t, your device may not show up in the list of available devices to share with. Or it could interrupt the file transfer. Make sure you turn auto lock until the transfer is fully complete.

Also, you must choose the right Quick Share settings on both devices for this transfer to work. If you didn’t set it up properly on either device, the transfer wouldn’t work. Turning on Contacts Only is fine if the user you’re sending this file to is in your contacts/ address book. If this user isn’t in your address book, you must choose the Anyone Nearby option. Anyone with a Galaxy phone near you can now send and receive files to and from your device. There aren’t any security concerns since you can reject files you don’t want or don’t recognize.

To change these settings, open the Settings app and tap on Connected Devices. There, you’ll find the Quick Share option. Enable the Show available devices on Share Panel Toggle and adjust between Anyone Nearby or Contacts Only. If you pick No One, the Nearby Share feature won’t work.

2. Check Bluetooth & Wi-Fi

Quick Share relies on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transfer files from one device to another. You cannot initiate a transfer if these two aren’t on. If you’re sharing your internet connection through a Hotspot or using Samsung Smart View, turn these off temporarily. These may interrupt the Quick Share transfer. If your transfer speeds are too slow, try connecting both devices to the same Wi-Fi network. This will drastically improve the speed of transfer.

3. Restart your device

This is an elementary troubleshooting method for most system-wide issues. Restarting clears cache memory and frees up RAM, and the entire OS has to restart. This will solve all bugs related to volatile memory. It’s an easy solution to many temporary glitches. It closes all apps and services and effectively closes anything that might interfere with the transfer. You can turn your phone off from the Settings app or just long press the power button.

4. Reset Network Settings

Disclaimer: This will completely reset your network preferences, forget all your Wi-Fi networks, disconnect you from the internet, remove Wi-Fi access points, unpair Bluetooth devices, and clear all VPN or DNS settings. You have to re-enter your Wi-Fi credentials manually after this.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Tap on General Management and choose the Reset option.
3. Here, you’ll find a Reset Network Settings option. The next page will show you review options.
4. Choose the Reset Network Settings option and tap on Reset Settings.
5. It might ask you for a PIN or passcode that you use to unlock your phone. Enter it to confirm.

5. Turn off your VPN connection

Since Quick Share operates with Wi-Fi, a VPN might mess with the process. We recommend turning it off and trying again since it could interfere with the transfer process. If there aren’t any conflicts between these two, it’ll ensure a smooth transfer process via Quick Share.

6. Clear data and cache for Quick Share

1. Open the Settings app and open the Apps page. Here, find the Quick Share app.
2. In the App Info section, tap on the Storage option. First, clear the cache.
3. Then, tap on the clear data button.

7. Update your phone and also the Quick Share app

1. Open the Galaxy Store app on your phone. Tap on the Menu and check for any app updates.
2. It’ll show you all your Samsung-specific updates. If there are any, we recommend updating them for a better experience. Check if a Quick Share update is available.
3. You can also try manually searching for the Quick Share app and checking for an update. After this, follow the below steps to check for a software update on your phone.

Open the Settings app and scroll until you find the Software Updates section.

Tap on the Download and Install button. It’ll check for any updates.

Tap on Download Now if it shows any updates.

8. Turn off power saving mode

Power saving might limit the range and speeds of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which are both important for Quick Share. We recommend turning this off until the transfer is complete.

9. Contact Samsung Support

If none of the above methods works, contact Samsung support. You can try browsing through their product support page and submitting your product feedback so they can try to patch this up in future updates if there are enough reports. In rare cases of a hardware defect, you may have to take it to a service centre near you to get the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth chips replaced.