To send an item to someone with AirDrop, both you and your recipient must have turned on AirDrop and chosen to accept items from either Contacts or Everyone. Each device creates a firewall around the connection and files are sent encrypted, which actually makes it safer than transferring via email. AirDrop will automatically detect nearby supported devices, and the devices only need to be close enough to establish a good Wi-Fi connection, making it possible to share files across several rooms. AirDrop is best for sharing a small selection of files between devices. If you want to share many files between your Mac and other Apple devices, see Sync content between your Mac and iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. With AirDrop, you can wirelessly send photos, videos, documents, and more to a nearby iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Transfer between two Mac computers
- AirDrop must be selected in a Finder window sidebar to be able to transfer files.
- Each device creates a firewall around the connection and files are sent encrypted, which actually makes it safer than transferring via email.
- Just make sure that both devices are signed in with the same Apple ID.
- You’ll also need to make sure your AirDrop settings are set to Contacts Only or Everyone rather than Receiving Off when receiving files and the same goes for the device you are sharing the content with.
- To send an item to someone with AirDrop, both you and your recipient must have turned on AirDrop and chosen to accept items from either Contacts or Everyone.
It uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transmit the files via a proprietary, how to buy energy web token close-range wireless communication process. Those can be text, image, or other types of files, such as playlists and locations. You can put your AirDrop receiving setting to Contacts Only or Receiving Off at any time to control who can see your device and send you content in AirDrop. Transfers are encrypted for security, and the recipient can accept or decline each transfer as it arrives. Files sent through AirDrop will appear in the app that typically handles those sorts of files — i.e. photos will show up in Photos.
How to accept AirDrop
To use AirDrop to securely share app and website passwords with someone using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, see Share passkeys and passwords securely with AirDrop on iPhone. To use AirDrop to securely share app and website passwords with someone using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, see Use passwords on iPhone. AirDrop lets you choose between enabling it for just your contacts or for everyone. “Contacts” requires more work, as you and the person you want to AirDrop with both have to be logged into iCloud and be in each other’s Contacts.
The two Apple devices you are using for AirDrop both have to have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on and they need to be within 9 metres (30 foot) of each other. A firewall is then created around the peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection from both devices and files sent using AirDrop are encrypted. One advantage to AirDrop is the use of Wi-Fi to make the connection. Some apps provide a similar coti code review file sharing capability using Bluetooth. And some Android devices use a combination of Near Field Communications (NFC) and Bluetooth to share files. But both Bluetooth and NFC are relatively slow compared to Wi-Fi, which makes sharing larger files using AirDrop much faster and more convenient.
How to use AirDrop on iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
“Everyone” is easier but means random people you don’t know can send you prank AirDrops. When you are ready to share a file, photo, webpage or whatever else you might want to share on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, cryptocurrency wallet guide for beginners 2021 open the file and tap on the share icon. Instructions apply to devices running iOS 7 and later, iPadOS, and OS X Mountain Lion (10.7) and up. Apple AirDrop will then transfer the file over the Wi-Fi connection. It doesn’t ever use NFC, Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy for transfer like some other services use, meaning the transfer is normally very fast. Apple’s AirDrop uses Bluetooth initially to establish a Wi-Fi connection between two devices.
If AirDrop is set to Contacts Only on your device with an earlier software version, you’ll need to adjust AirDrop settings to the Everyone option in Settings or from Control Center. You can select the Everyone option while using AirDrop and disable it when not in use. Use AirDrop to share and receive photos, documents, and more with other Apple devices that are nearby. When you’re using AirDrop between iPhones and iPads, you can AirDrop photos, videos, contacts, Passbook passes, Voice Memos, Map locations, and any and everything else that appears on a Share sheet.
The user will then have the option to Accept or Decline the file on their device. AirDrop is a feature in iOS and macOS that lets physically close Mac and iOS devices share files wirelessly with one another with a minimum of fuss. The name basically means to send or ‘drop’ files over the air from one device to another. If you want to use AirDrop to send items between your Apple devices, sign in to your Apple Account in order to automatically accept and save the items. For example, if you use AirDrop to send a photo from the Photos app, it’s saved in the Photos app on the other device. If you choose Everyone, even though you are highly visible to other devices, you will always be prompted when someone is trying to share files with you through AirDrop.
How to turn on (or off) AirDrop for iPhone X, iPhone XS, or iPhone XR
For receiving files, you’ll need to tap Accept or Reject when the request appears as a notification or as a message in the AirDrop window. You’ll then need to choose AirDrop from the sharing options and select the AirDrop recipient from the AirDrop box. You can also launch the Finder and open the AirDrop from the left-hand bar.