How to Pin Favourite Contacts and Apps to the Direct Share Menu on Android

Whenever you tap the Share icon on an Android phone to send a camera photo, web link, or viral video, the Android Share sheet slides up from the bottom of your screen. Too often, the top Direct Share row is occupied by people you rarely contact—such as an automated customer service bot or an old colleague from another app—while your spouse, best friend, or favourite WhatsApp group chat is buried three menus deep. Modern Android releases let you pin specific contacts and preferred sharing apps permanently to the top of the share sheet.

Why Pin Contacts to the Android Share Sheet?

Customising your sharing targets streamlines mobile communication:

• One-Tap Sharing: Send pictures and articles directly to your most frequent chat threads without first opening WhatsApp, Telegram, or Messages.
• Stable Layout: Prevents Android’s machine-learning algorithm from constantly shuffling contact positions based on sporadic recent interactions.
• Prioritise Preferred Apps: Pin your most-used utilities (such as Google Keep, Quick Share, or Gmail) to the first row of apps.

How to Pin a Contact to the Direct Share Row

Pinning a favourite conversation thread takes two taps:

1. Open any app that supports sharing (such as Google Photos or Chrome).
2. Select an image or tap the three-dots menu and select Share to bring up the system share sheet.
3. Look at the top row displaying direct contact targets (showing profile avatars with app badges).
4. Locate the contact you message most frequently. (If they aren’t visible, scroll horizontally across the contact strip).
5. Press and hold (long-press) on the contact’s avatar card.
6. A small popup menu will appear displaying a Pin [Contact Name] option.
7. Tap Pin. A small pin badge will attach to the corner of their icon, and that contact will remain locked at the far-left position of your sharing menu permanently.

How to Pin Your Favourite Applications

You can also lock your primary sharing apps to the front of the app list:

1. In the same share sheet, scroll down to the second row displaying app icons (WhatsApp, Gmail, Messages, Slack, Drive).
2. Find the application you use most often.
3. Press and hold (long-press) the app icon.
4. Tap Pin [App Name].
5. The application moves to the first slot, ensuring it is always immediately accessible without scrolling.

How to Unpin Contacts or Apps Later

If your communication habits change, simply long-press on any pinned contact or app card and select Unpin to return it to standard dynamic ordering.