AirDrop

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AirDrop How Tos

How NameDrop Works on iPhone (and How to Disable It)

Wednesday November 29, 2023 3:26 am PST by
In iOS 17, there's a new AirDrop feature that lets you exchange contact information with someone by touching two iPhones together. It's called NameDrop, and here's how it actually works. Rather than type in the number of someone new to call or text them so that they have your number, NameDrop allows you to simply hold your ‌iPhone‌ near their ‌iPhone‌ to swap contact details....

AirDrop Not Working? Here's How to Fix It

Thursday November 16, 2023 5:00 am PST by
AirDrop is a handy feature on Apple devices since it lets users discover nearby Macs, iPhones, and iPads, and securely transfer items between them over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and even continue larger transfers over cellular. The only problem is that it doesn't always work. If that sounds like your current experience with AirDrop, this article offers some troubleshooting steps that may help. Subsc ...

iOS 17.1: How to Use AirDrop Over Cellular

Wednesday October 25, 2023 10:05 am PDT by
In iOS 17, Apple has enhanced iPhone AirDrop in many ways, and with the release of iOS 17.1, it's just got better, because you will no longer need to within Wi-Fi range of someone to continue a file transfer over AirDrop. Keep reading to learn how it works. Since its introduction in iOS 7, AirDrop has become the favored means for iPhone users to instantly share photos, videos, documents, and ...

iOS 17: How to Send Files and Photos With AirDrop Proximity Sharing

Thursday September 14, 2023 7:56 am PDT by
In iOS 17, Apple has made sharing files and media easier than ever, thanks to a cool new AirDrop proximity feature that does most of the work for you. In prior versions of iOS, transferring a file or photo between Apple devices involves opening the file in question, tapping the Share button, selecting AirDrop, then choosing the nearby device you want to send the file to. With iOS 17,...

How to Use AirDrop on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Wednesday January 29, 2020 4:51 pm PST by
AirDrop is Apple's ad-hoc service that lets users discover nearby Macs and iOS devices and securely transfer files between them over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. When using AirDrop between Macs and iOS devices, you can send and receive photos, videos, documents, contacts, passwords and anything else that can be transferred from a Share Sheet. Keep reading to learn how to use it. AirDrop Device...

How to Prevent Unsolicited AirDrops to Your Apple Device

Tuesday July 23, 2019 9:25 am PDT by
Since its introduction with iOS 7, AirDrop has become the favored means for iPhone and iPad users to instantly share photos, videos, documents, and more to nearby Apple devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Using it to transmit content from apps like Photos and Safari couldn't be simpler, thanks to its top-level location in the iOS Share Sheet, accessed via the ubiquitous Share icon. AirDrop is...

How to Add an AirDrop Shortcut to Your Mac's Dock

Friday May 25, 2018 2:10 am PDT by
Apple's AirDrop feature lets you wirelessly send and receive files between nearby Macs as well as to and from local iOS devices. It's usually accessed from the sidebar of an open Finder Window (or using the Command + Shift + R keyboard shortcut within Finder), but here we're going to share with you a trick that enables you to launch AirDrop straight from your Mac's Dock. Having the AirDrop...

AirDrop Guides

iOS 17 AirDrop Features: NameDrop, SharePlay, and Proximity Sharing

Thursday August 3, 2023 10:16 am PDT by
Apple in iOS 17 is improving the AirDrop sharing feature that is designed to allow two Apple devices to share content with one another quickly and easily. Proximity sharing has been improved, it's easier to exchange content, and more. This guide highlights all of the new AirDrop features you'll find in iOS 17. NameDrop NameDrop is an AirDrop feature that lets you exchange contact...

AirDrop Articles

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AirDrop 'Cracked' By Chinese Authorities to Identify Senders

Tuesday January 9, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Apple's AirDrop feature has reportedly been cracked by a Chinese state-backed institution, allowing authorities to identify senders who share "undesirable content" over the peer-to-peer wireless protocol (via Bloomberg). AirDrop is Apple's ad-hoc service that lets users discover nearby Macs and iOS devices and securely transfer files between them over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Users can send and...
5 New AirDrop Features Feature

5 New AirDrop Features Coming in iOS 17

Saturday June 17, 2023 1:16 am PDT by
Since its introduction in iOS 7, AirDrop has become the favored means for iPhone users to instantly share photos, videos, documents, and more to nearby Apple devices with relative ease. Given its widespread popularity, the feature hasn't changed all that much over the years. But this year, Apple is stepping things up a gear by bringing several new capabilities to AirDrop that should make it more...
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Apple Announces New 'NameDrop' Feature for Sharing Between iPhones

Monday June 5, 2023 10:33 am PDT by
As part of iOS 17, Apple at WWDC 2023 announced a new AirDrop-related feature called NameDrop, a potentially more convenient way of sharing things with another iPhone owner that's in the same physical location as you. With NameDrop, two people only need to bring each of their iPhones close together, and one can share a file or photos with the other person automatically. NameDrop supports the ...
AirDrop Everyone For 10 Minutes

Apple Expanding 10-Minute 'Everyone' AirDrop Limit to All Users With iOS 16.2

Wednesday December 7, 2022 9:36 am PST by
With the launch of iOS 16.2, Apple is expanding an AirDrop limitation that was introduced in China with the launch of iOS 16.1.1. Going forward, AirDrop will be primarily restricted to Contacts Only, and the option to turn on AirDrop for "Everyone" will be limited to 10 minutes. Right now, AirDrop has three options: "Receiving Off," "Contacts Only," and "Everyone." The current "Everyone"...
AirDrop iOS 16 Feature

Apple to Fight AirDrop Spam With New iPhone Setting Launching Widely Next Year

Thursday November 10, 2022 10:10 am PST by
As noted by 9to5Mac, iOS 16.1.1 and the iOS 16.2 beta add a new "Everyone for 10 Minutes" option for AirDrop in China, limiting the amount of time that iPhone users can wirelessly receive files from strangers. The setting was reportedly added after protesters in the country used AirDrop to spread anti-government material. AirDrop normally has three options, including "Receiving Off,"...
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Researchers Discover AirDrop Security Flaw That Could Expose Personal Data to Strangers

Friday April 23, 2021 4:36 am PDT by
AirDrop is a feature that allows Apple devices to securely and conveniently transfer files, photos, and more between each other wirelessly. Users can share items with their own devices, friends, family, or even strangers. The convenience and ease of use, however, may be undermined by a newly discovered security flaw. Researchers at TU Darmstadt have discovered that the process which AirDrop...
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Samsung's Answer to AirDrop Finally Arrives With the Galaxy S20

Wednesday February 12, 2020 2:26 am PST by
Last month we reported that Samsung was working on its own AirDrop killer for Galaxy devices, called Quick Share. On Tuesday, the Korean company unveiled its new trio of Galaxy S20 phones, and we finally got a better idea of what the local file-sharing feature can do. On the face of it, Quick Share works just like Apple's AirDrop, in that if you're near another user with a supported device,...
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Samsung's Long-Awaited Answer to AirDrop Expected to Arrive Next Month

Friday January 24, 2020 1:29 am PST by
Samsung is said to be working on its own answer to AirDrop, Apple's ad-hoc service that lets users transfer files among Macs and iOS devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. According to XDA Developers, "Quick Share" will work similarly to AirDrop, enabling files to be sent "instantly" between two Galaxy phones in close proximity, so long as both devices have the feature turned on. Like AirDrop, ...
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Now-Fixed AirDrop Bug Let Anyone Lock-Up Nearby iPhones With Flood of Files

Tuesday December 10, 2019 11:19 am PST by
There was a serious AirDrop bug in iOS 13.2.3 that let attackers overwhelm nearby iPhones with files, causing them to lock up, reports TechCrunch. Apple addressed the bug in the iOS 13.3 update, and the details of how it works are now public. AirDrop is designed to allow users to share files with one another, and depending on settings, it can be restricted to contacts, no one, or any nearby iP...