iOS 7 May Include AirDrop Wireless File Sharing Capabilities

According to 9to5Mac, Apple is internally testing versions of iOS 7 that include AirDrop drag-and-drop file sharing capabilities.

First introduced with OS X Lion, AirDrop is a Finder function that allows Mac users to share files with other Mac users without the need for a Wi-Fi network or storage device. AirDrop for iOS is said to work in the same way, allowing files to be quickly shared between two different users.

airdrop

AirDrop for OS X

Sources say that the AirDrop functionality is currently integrated into the standard iOS share menu. AirDrop will work between two iOS devices and potentially between an iOS device and a Mac. The feature will make it easier than ever to transfer, for example, a photograph or document from one person's iPhone to another person's iPad.

While iCloud synchronization works well for sharing photos and documents between two iOS devices owned by the same person, the AirDrop feature will allow seamless individual file exchanges between iOS devices belonging to different people.

Along with AirDrop file sharing, iOS 7 is also expected to feature a major redesign and enhanced social network integration, which includes support for both Flickr and Vimeo. As noted by 9to5Mac, beta features that are in testing, like AirDrop, may or may not make it into the final version of the operating system.

iOS 7 will debut at the keynote of Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which is scheduled to take place on June 10.

Tag: 9to5Mac
Related Forum: iOS 7

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...

Top Rated Comments

_Refurbished_ Avatar
163 months ago
S Drop

- Samsung
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BJB Productions Avatar
163 months ago
The day I can stop emailing myself photos that I take on my iPhone will be a good day.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ECUpirate44 Avatar
163 months ago
Finally something useful!
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
springsup Avatar
163 months ago
They already have this functionality. Its called s-beam (android beam) Its also much better implemented and uses wifi direct so it doesn't require devices to be on the same wireless network like this will. Using NFC for the pairing makes the setup of the connection extremely simple.

No, AirDrop doesn't require you to be on the same WiFi network.

It also doesn't require you to touch devices or anything. The other person could be in the next room, upstairs, etc.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
springsup Avatar
163 months ago
AirDrop is actually very cool.

The way it works in the Mac, you don't even need to be on the same Wi-Fi network - in fact you don't need a WiFi network at all to send files.

It works if you're both on different WiFi networks, or if one or both of you has no WiFi at all. It's perfect for the iPhone.

It works by having the WiFi card switch rapidly between the two states; which means you get a real proximity-based 'who is near me' list (...of people also in the AirDrop window; for privacy reasons the Mac doesn't keep broadcasting).
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fertilized-egg Avatar
163 months ago
They already have this functionality. Its called s-beam (android beam) Its also much better implemented and uses wifi direct so it doesn't require devices to be on the same wireless network like this will. Using NFC for the pairing makes the setup of the connection extremely simple.
So based on your comments you do not even know how AirDrop works on a Mac right now even though it's been around since 2011.

I'm quite intrigued. How do you know the S-Beam feature is "much better implemented" when you don't know anything about AirDrop and none of us knows exactly how the feature will be implemented on iOS? Are you a clairvoyant?
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)