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What can be sent via airdrop. Turn on AirDrop on iPhone in Control Center

As it gets bigger, developers are channeling their creative endeavors to improve features on the iPhone and MacBook. As a result of these actions, a new AirDrop function was presented, thanks to which the exchange of content between a smartphone and a MacBook has been significantly simplified.

AirDrop allows you to remotely transfer files between iPhone and MacBook.

Now copying any content has become not only easy, but users have also got rid of the need to control their Internet connection. And also the advantage of this function is that the data transfer is carried out quickly, therefore, the need for tedious waiting until the transfer process is completed is eliminated.

It's easy to understand why AirDrop has become so popular among iPhone and MacBook users. It is she who does not need complex settings, it is she who allows you to easily and quickly transfer photos, documents and other content from one device to another.

To carry out such a transfer, Bluetooth iPhone is used, as well as a wireless connection module, in particular, Wi-Fi. The result is a peer-to-peer network. When transferring data, their complete security is ensured, since they are transmitted only within this network and, at the same time, only in encrypted form.

Primary requirements

Of course, as you get down to familiarizing yourself with how to use AirDrop, you will certainly be faced with a listing of the requirements that are important to fulfill in order to ensure a successful data transfer. First of all, if you wanted to transfer a photo from an iPhone to a MacBook or carry out exactly the same transfer, but only in the opposite direction, then you should take care that both of these devices are located at a slight distance from each other. And also you need to set up iCloud accounts on both gadgets in advance.

You should set yourself up so that you cannot transfer a ringtone or other music file via AirDrop. This function is focused only on the distribution of material that is contained in such applications:

  • Contacts;
  • Cards;
  • Photo;
  • Safar browser

IMPORTANT. Unfortunately, users of outdated models will be able to feel the limitations on themselves, since the iPhone of the fourth modification is not accompanied by the technical possibilities of using such a function. Likewise, there is no technical basis for applying AirDrop on a MacBook that was released earlier than 2010.

Function enable rules

Novice users wanting to turn on AirDrop can get in trouble if they refuse to read the guidelines first. Many newbies go to "Settings" and it is there that they are actively looking for the desired icon. Not finding it, they are upset, believing that their particular device simply does not support this function.

In fact, everything is not so, you can simply activate the AirDrop function after you go to the "Control Center". In the open window, you can easily find a slider that increases or decreases the volume. Just below this slider is the AirDrop icon. We recommend that you click on this icon, and then select your preferred mode in the window that opens.

The first mode helps to disable AirDrop, the second "Only for contacts" allows data transfer only for devices whose contacts are on your gadget. We recommend that you choose the third option, "For everyone," because in this case you will be able to receive or transmit data via AirDrop, even if you do not have such a contact, but it is important for you to get information.

After choosing one of the listed modes, the AirDrop function is activated, you can even visually verify this. The icon will take on a white tint instead of gray, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi will become active immediately. Of course, it is important to undertake such activation on all devices on which it is supposed to receive or transmit photos, contacts or other content.

Data transfer process

Don't feel that AirDrop is difficult to transfer photos. In terms of complexity, this process can be compared to sending content by email. Go to the "Photos" application, find the image that you would like to transfer. Select it, and then click on the icon, which shows an arrow pointing up. You will find this icon at the bottom of the window.

After that, move your gaze to the upper part of the screen, there you will find the "Next" button, we recommend that you click on it. A list of contacts will immediately appear, to which you can instantly forward the selected image. As soon as you click on one of the contacts, AirDrop will determine what exactly you want to send the photo to, so it will automatically start the sending process. As soon as the file is sent, a notification about this will appear on the screen of your gadget.

This completes the transfer of photos or contacts. As you can see, you will not have to face any difficulties if you first study the recommendations and strictly follow the proposed algorithm. You will be able to perform such movement of content from one device to another quickly and often if necessary.

AirDrop is a technology that allows you to share files between multiple devices. Of course, we are talking about Apple devices (after all, the blog is dedicated to them). Initially, AirDrop debuted on Mac computers in OS X and arrived on iPads and iPhones with a firmware update to iOS 7. Sharing photos, videos, and other supported documents (such as a link from a browser to) has since become very easy. By the way, this "trick" will not work with music, alas :(

In the case of using AirDrop on the iOS operating system, Apple has made file sharing much easier, faster, and more reliable than the Bluetooth sharing we are all used to. In general, a cool thing! Let's take a closer look at it. Go!

Updated or "Hello from 2019"! Interesting fact: the article was written 5 years ago, but it is still relevant - nothing supernatural has happened with AirDrop during this time. Like this :)

How AirDrop works

This technology uses Bluetooth to create a decentralized (peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi network. Each device creates a secure connection, files are sent encrypted, which of course is much safer than transmission via email or any other method. Within a radius of approximately 10 meters, compatible gadgets are detected - you can start exchanging data!

AirDrop supports:

  • iPhone 5 and older (5C, 5S), 6 and 6+.
  • iPad 4, Air and Air 2, as well as younger brothers (mini, mini with retina).
  • iPod touch 5.

Note! The models are indicated at the time of this writing (for sure, in the next generations of devices, the technology will not only be present, but also refined). So, on the recently presented OS X 10.10 Yosemite, we found that AirDrop between Mac computers and iPhones now works.

How to use AirDrop

Well, for a start it would be nice to enable it;) However, if you think that activation occurs in the settings, then this is not the case. Apple wanted to make this feature easily accessible, so the AirDrop enable icon on iPad and iPhone is in the control panel. Recall that this very panel is called up by a gesture "from bottom to top" on the screen.

After clicking on the icon, we have a choice from whom to receive files:

  1. Disable detection.
  2. For contacts only (if the person is in your contact list).
  3. For all.

AirDrop not working - problems and solutions

In the event that data transmission over a wireless connection refuses to work or one device "does not see" the other, the following steps should be followed.

If pairing occurs between two Apple portable gadgets (iPhone, iPad, iPod) and one of them does not see the other:

  • You need to know if there is support for this technology (not available in iPhone 4s and earlier, also in iPad 3 and earlier).
  • Check that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi () are turned on and functioning correctly.
  • Restart your gadgets.

Between the device and the computer:

  • For Windows, AirDrop is missing!
  • Mac computers must be running OS X Yosemite or later.

It is a pity that Windows was so undeservedly cheated. But Apple, of course, knows better - it has its own rules.

Finally, a tip: after all the operations, do not forget to turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (if you do not plan to use them). After all, wireless connections are pretty big on battery power - do you need it? It seems to me not.

I wish you all a reliable, fast, successful data exchange! I will be glad to answer your questions, if any, in the comments!

P.S. Do you want stable and consistent AirDrop? Put "likes" and your files will be transferred with great speed! Do you think this is a joke? Nothing like this!:)

In this article, we will talk about how to use the Airdrop feature.

Air Drop has been around on Mac for a very long time. It allows you to transfer files from PC to phone by connecting them to the same Wi-fi. When the new iOS 7 was released, this function was added to iPhones and iPads, but data could only be transferred between them.

In other words, the same feature worked separately on each device. But already with the release of iOS 8 and iOS X, Yosemite AirDrop was made universal and now it allows you to transfer files between any Apple gadgets.

  • By the way, the speed of information transfer is quite high. Photos move in an instant, large videos are no more than two minutes long. This is due to direct Wi-fi connection
  • Sometimes devices do not find each other. To solve this problem, simply reconnect Bluetooth.

And in the end, I must say about one more add-on that will help you protect yourself from unnecessary data reception. To prevent someone else from sending you files, activate the "Contacts only" option. It's located in the System Control Center and AirDrop tab on Mac. So you will give the opportunity to send you data only to your contacts.

Video: AirDrop | What is it and how to use it?

Friends, good day. Today I tried out one of the new features of the iOS operating system called AirDrop. To study the operation of this wireless method of transferring information between Apple devices, I began by simply transferring a photo from an iPhone to an iPad. The procedure itself resembles the transfer of photos via Bluetooth. Remember how you used to throw photos and music from a phone of one model to a phone of another model using bluetooth. We see something like that now, but in Apple's mobile devices, as always, everything is within the same ecosystem. That is, transferring files "over the air" using wireless AirDrop is possible only between iPhones, iPads and iPods, and even then not between all models.

In general, AirDrop is a communication technology that uses both Bluetooth and a Wi-Fi communication module at the same time. AirDrop is convenient because you practically don't need to configure it, turn it on and use it, send photos, videos, contacts and other information between Apple devices. But you can not transfer everything, for example, you cannot send and receive music or a ringtone using AirDrop.

Which iPhone, iPad and iPod touch use AirDrop

For the first time, the wireless AirDrop function appeared in iOS 7, but not in all models of devices that support the 7th firmware, but only in some. "Why only some?" - you ask. Probably because such a marketing scheme in Apple is tricky, we give more buns for new and dubious models, so that we would like to buy them as soon as possible. Below are the AirDrop-enabled mobile devices available at the time of this writing:

In addition to mobile devices, the AirDrop function is also present on Apple desktops running Mac OS Lion or higher. I will not list the models of computers that support AirDrop, since today we have everything within the iPhone, iPad and iPod.

How to enable and use AirDrop


In order to use the AirDrop technology, you need to enable it on both devices, be it iPhone, iPod or iPad. On all these three types of devices with and above, there is a pop-up element -. We pull out the control point widget from the bottom and see the AirDrop element in it, but if we do not see it, then your device is not in the list above. Click AirDrop and see a menu with the text:

You will be able to make your discovery possible for everyone or only for users in your contacts.


And below there are three or four buttons: Off, For contacts only, For and all.

To enable AirDrop, click - "For everyone" (iPhone will receive files from all devices that support AirDrop) or "Only for contacts" (Works only after logging into iCloud, receives files only from devices available in contacts). We choose "For everyone" and see how the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules were activated in the control center, with the help of which wireless transmission is carried out. You need to turn on AirDrop on the two devices between which you want to transfer files.

AirDrop - sequence to transfer file to iPad

Once AirDrop is turned on, you can use it and transfer files. In order to transfer an image file, notes and other content, you need to find the button with the image of a square with an arrow, click the AirDrop icon, select the device that appears, click on it and the file will be transferred without any wires, using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. As an illustrative example, we considered the transfer of a photo:

Please note that you do not need to search for a Wi-Fi network for AirDrop to work, two devices working with AirDrop are enough to transfer a file.

AirDrop does not work intermittently


Today, AirDrop is still a young raw technology, so it is very common for file transfers to experience crashes, rejections, or very long standby times. We tried to enable AirDrop and transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone, tried from iPad to iPhone and vice versa. Single images from almost the second try were perfectly transmitted, but when we tried to send large batches of photos, it turned out from the 10th time. Let's hope that in future iOS firmware, the AirDrop function will work fully and without interruptions.

Airdrop is a function to exchange files between different Apple devices on the iOS 7 and higher platform. At first, it was only implemented on iMac computers, but now you can link everything with it - both stationary and mobile.

Any problem can be solved technically

With all the convenience of this technology, users quite often complain about its unstable operation: even if everything works well now, there is no guarantee that tomorrow you will be able to send files again without problems. Moreover, difficulties may arise if you have purchased a new smartphone or tablet and are trying to establish file exchange with those already working. Why is this happening?

This problem can manifest itself in different ways. For example, the next time you try to transfer a photo or other materials, you will find that the Airdrop does not work: the computer and tablet do not see each other. Or the icon for this program might not be found at all in the iOS Control Center. Let's take a closer look at these situations and ways to get out of them.

A general condition for all: the software on all Apple devices must be updated to the latest. If we are talking about MacBooks or iMacs, then it makes sense to set up Airdrop only if their year of release is not earlier than 2008 for MacBooks and 2009 for Aimaks.

The program icon disappeared from the Control Center

This often happens when trying to set up the sharing function on a new device: you want to start and set up an Airdrop, but not that it doesn't work - you don't even find the corresponding icon in the menu. This problem can be solved quite simply: in the General settings of your iPad or iPhone, find the "Restrictions" item and turn on the toggle switch opposite the Airdrop.

After exiting the settings, you will see this program among the Control Center icons. If it doesn't, restart your device.

What to do if devices can't find each other

The first step is to carry out a standard check: restart your computer and iPad, enable / disable Airdrop on both devices, check ("only for contacts" or "for all"). The Continuity and Handoff features must also be enabled.

If all of the above is done, but the Airdrop still does not work normally, there remains one more point - an implicit, but very often provoking communication problem between devices for file sharing. This is the lack of a Bluetooth pair linking, for example, iPad and MacBook.

When you buy a new iPad and set it up, the Bluetooth communication settings should turn on automatically. In practice, the following happens: the Bluetooth pair is not saved, therefore, communication cannot be established.

In this case, you need to create a pair again:

  1. Make sure Bluetooth is turned on on both the computer and the tablet.
  2. On the computer, go to System Preferences, find Bluetooth.
  3. Search for devices, find your new iPad, and pair.
  4. Enter the suggested code on both devices.

After that, MacBook and iPad will appear in the list of available recipients for each other, and the issue will be resolved. Now you can try sending files from tablet to computer and vice versa. To see if this works, try deleting the pair and creating it again, and you will see a pattern.

Conclusion

Got a new iPad but can't set up the Airdrop file transfer service? The instructions for such equipment usually have checklists that you can go through in search of if something does not work. We have analyzed the most common causes of malfunction of this service and offer you several ways to eliminate them. Have you encountered a similar problem? Have you found a solution? Share your experience in the comments.

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