It can be convenient to use AirDrop to share files with other iPhone, iPad, and Mac users over a wireless connection, but you will only be able to share files with yourself or close friends unless you select the ‘Everyone’ AirDrop option, and we all know how unpleasant it can be to receive unwarranted AirDrop requests from strangers — just look at the annoyance that can be caused by prank tools like AirTroller.
Fortunately, iOS developer Snail is out this week with a new jailbreak tweak called AirDrop16 that lets you set your AirDrop setting to ‘Everyone,’ but only for a short period of time as opposed to forever. The developer says the tweak is a move to bring a popular iOS 16-like feature to jailbroken iOS 15 devices, and that it’s more flexible than the stock iOS 16 setting.
As you can see in the screenshot examples above, AirDrop16 lets users customize how long their device broadcasts AirDrop availability to ‘Everyone.’
Once installed, AirDrop16 adds a dedicated preference pane to the Settings app where users are free to configure the tweak to their liking:
Options here include:
- Enabling or disabling AirDrop16 on demand
- Configuring the ‘Everyone’ timer with a slider
- Choosing between Receiving off or Contacts only after timer times out
- Respring your device to save any changes you’ve made
One thing to note is that whatever you set your timer to expire at, that number will appear in the actual AirDrop preference pane, as shown on the rightmost screenshot.
If you’re interested in taking more control over AirDrop on your devices to prevent yourself from falling victim to malicious actors, but still giving yourself the flexibility to send and receive with other Apple devices that aren’t necessarily in your Contacts list, then AirDrop16 might be of interest to you.
Those interested in giving AirDrop16 a try can purchase a copy for $0.99 from the Havoc repository via their favorite package manager app. The tweak supports jailbroken iOS 14, 15, and 16 devices.
Are you going to be making use of AirDrop16? Be sure to let us know why or why not in the comments section down below.