Troubleshooting
Quick Share not working on a Samsung Galaxy? 6 fixes
6 fixes, 6 with a real screenshot from our Galaxy S26 (One UI 9.0) and Galaxy A57 (One UI 9). Try them in order.
Illustration
Quick answer
Turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on both phones, then open Settings, Connected devices, Quick Share and set Who can share with you to Your devices, Contacts or Everyone. Stop any hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct or Smart View session, and sign in to your Samsung account to share with other Galaxy devices.
Say you are standing right next to a friend, phones almost touching, and the photo still refuses to go across. Quick Share fails most often because the receiving phone is set to No one, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is off, or a hotspot is running. In other words, the phones are usually not broken, they are just not listening to each other.
Step-by-step guide
Follow these steps in order. After each step, check if it works.
- 1
Let others share with you
Settings, Connected devices, Quick Share. Who can share with you was set to Contacts on our Galaxy S26. If it says No one, nobody can send to your phone.
- 2
Pick who can share
Choose Your devices, Contacts (which also includes your devices) or Everyone. Everyone switches back after 10 minutes, as the choice itself says.
- 3
Sign in to your Samsung account
To share with other Galaxy devices, Quick Share needs your Samsung account. The Accounts group near the top of the page shows which accounts are signed in.
- 4
Show devices on the share panel
Show available devices on share panel lists nearby phones when you tap Share. It was on on ours.
- 5
Allow sharing over the internet
If a direct connection is not possible, this lets sharing continue over Wi-Fi or mobile data. It is the last switch on the page; it was off on ours.
- 6
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on, hotspot off
Samsung says Bluetooth and Wi-Fi must be on, and Quick Share cannot be used while a hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct or Smart View is in use.
Our quick panel shows the case where it cannot work: Wi-Fi off and Mobile Hotspot on.
If you do not see this option
- There is no Quick Share button Samsung says which sharing features you get depends on the phone, the network and the software version. Check for a software update under Settings, Software update. Source: Send and receive files with Quick Share on your Galaxy phone
- You want to send to an iPhone Samsung says Settings, Connected devices, Quick Share has a Share with Apple devices option on phones that support it. Source: Send and receive files with Quick Share on your Galaxy phone
If this does not work
- The other phone never shows up Samsung says to make sure Quick Share is turned on on both phones, and to check for software updates if the phone does not search for the other device.
- You are sharing a video to a TV Don't worry, your TV is not being stubborn. Samsung says Quick Share does not send videos to TVs or SmartThings devices. Use Smart View for a TV.
- It starts, then stops halfway? Google says to keep both devices close together, within about 30 cm, during the transfer, so this is not the moment to wander off to the kitchen with one of them. Wait for anyone else sharing with that phone to finish, switch Airplane mode on and off again, or restart both phones.
- The other phone is an older Android? Google says Quick Share works on Android 6 and later. If that phone is on Android 12 or earlier, Location must be on too.
Good to know
Hotspot on and need it? Samsung Galaxy hotspot not working? 6 fixes.
Bluetooth trouble too? Samsung Galaxy Bluetooth not connecting? 6 fixes.
Allow sharing over the internet can use mobile data when a direct connection fails, so watch your allowance on large videos, because a long holiday clip can eat a surprising chunk of your data. Google says received files appear in the Downloads folder, in a Quick Share folder, when you use its Files app.
Watch these steps
Watch on YouTubeThe same steps, recorded on our Galaxy S26 · opens YouTubeAbout this guide
- Device
- Android
- Shown on
- Samsung Galaxy S26 (SM-S942N, Korean model), One UI 9.0, Android 17 (build CP2A.260605.016.S942NKSU5BZJB), Samsung Galaxy A57 (SM-A576B), One UI 9, Android 17 (build A576BXXU6BZIE)
- App
- Settings
- Real screenshots
- 6 of 6 steps
- What we did
- Observed: looked at each screen, changed nothing
- Checked
- November 2026
- Sources
- 2 official, linked below
The screenshots are from a Samsung Galaxy S26 with One UI 9.0 and Android 17, in Dark mode, apart from step 6, from our Galaxy A57 with One UI 8.5. Other Galaxy phones on One UI 8.5 and 9 use similar menus; on older One UI versions a few names and positions differ. We only looked at these screens on our phones and changed nothing.
Sources
Links checked November 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Related guides
How to see who is connected to your Samsung Galaxy hotspotNFC or tap to pay not working on a Samsung Galaxy: fixesHow to share a Wi-Fi password on a Google Pixel (Android 17)How to reset network settings on a OnePlus (OxygenOS 16)How to edit the quick panel buttons on a Samsung GalaxyHow to add a second user or a guest on AndroidDid this guide work for you?
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