AirDrop

AirDrop Remover nixes the AirDrop button from iOS Share Sheets

AirDrop is a very convenient way to send and receive files between iOS devices and Macs; on the other hand, not everyone uses it. While you can easily disable AirDrop, the feature still clutters your interfaces whether it’s disabled or not.

Those with a jailbreak can hide AirDrop from their device entirely, and a new free jailbreak tweak called AirDrop Disabler by Justin Petkovic aides in this process by removing AirDrop from your Share Sheets.

How and where to share faster with AirDrop

In the absence of reliable figures from Apple, it is not much more than conjecture to say that AirDrop is likely a feature often neglected by the average iOS user. The gut feeling persists though, simply based on day to day observations, and it is a tenable position to take until proven wrong by Cupertino or another reputable source. The file transfer protocol is indeed handy for the transfer of heavier media files (e.g. videos, photo albums), but often only becomes relevant to us when we for example have upgraded to a new device.

Next to sheer transmission speed however, there are other notable areas where AirDrop has the clear edge when it comes to sharing all kinds of material from your iPhone. The AirDrop icon has now fully permeated the sharing tab in iOS 10’s user interface and that is for a good reason: it is without fail going to be more nimble than iMessage, Mail or other contenders, often actually skipping steps that would throttle the process elsewhere. Such being the case, here are some unique scenarios where AirDrop excels on your iPhone and why you should try to embrace the feature more regularly.

How to enable AirDrop file transfers between unsupported Macs and over Ethernet

The AirDrop file transfer protocol, introduced with Mac OS X Lion and iOS 7, is a fast and convenient way to transfer files between Apple devices. The current version of the service is interoperable between iOS and macOS, but requires both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to be active in order to work. It also requires Mac OS X Yosemite or newer and a hardware model from 2012 or later.

However, the version of AirDrop that shipped as standard with OS X between 10.7 (Lion) and 10.9 (Mavericks), whilst unable to send files to iOS devices, works without Bluetooth and on Mac models going back as far as 2008. Luckily, alongside the newer version, this legacy mode is still included on all Mac models to date, and as this guide will show, can be modified to have an even broader functionality.

AirDrop not working? Try these troubleshooting tips

AirDrop, a peer-to-peer technology for wireless content exchange across iOS and OS X devices, is universally panned as one of those features that don’t “just work”.

But things are not that simple. As it turns out, more often than not AirDrop issues that people encounter can be resolved quite easily. That’s why you shouldn’t give up on AirDrop yet in case it’s acting up. There’s most likely a good explanation, and an easy solution, for the AirDrop hiccups you’ve been experiencing.

AirDrop can save you a ton of time so here’s hoping that our troubleshooting tips will persuade you to give this really, really cool feature another chance. If AirDrop is not working properly for you, read on to find out how you can do some basic troubleshooting.

Check out Snapdrop, a web-based clone of Apple’s AirDrop

The easiest way to share content between your Mac and an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad is AirDrop, a device-to-device wireless transfer technology built into the bowels of iOS and OS X. But when you want to transfer files between Apple devices and other platforms, AirDrop isn’t very helpfu.

AirDrop, as you know, is limited to iOS and OS X and doesn’t work on Android, Windows or other operating systems and computing platforms. Enter Snapdrop, an interesting web-based HTML5 clone of AirDrop by German developer Robin Linus.

Billed as the easiest way to transfer files across different devices, Snapdrop runs in a web browser and doesn’t require you to install any special software. But does it work as advertised? Read on to find out.

Apple releases OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan update

Following an extensive testing, Apple on Tuesday released OS X 10.11.2 (build number 15C50), the second major update to El Capitan, for public consumption. In addition to improving the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac, OS X 10.11.2 improves iCloud Photo Sharing for Live Photos, as well as the reliability of Wi-Fi networking, Handoff and AirDrop.

Moreover, the software update includes fixes for Bluetooth devices disconnecting on a whim, the Mail app deleting messages in an offline Exchange account and problems with importing photos from an iPhone to a Mac using a USB cable.

How to tell if your Mac supports AirDrop, a device-to-device wireless file transfer feature

AirDrop, one of the most overlooked features of both OS X and iOS, was designed to simplify wireless file sharing between Macs and iOS devices, without having to connect to an existing network or going through the hassle of having to type a password.

AirDrop debuted on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and iOS 7, but the two were not interoperable due to incompatible protocols. Starting with OS X Yosemite and iOS 8, AirDrop works between OS X and iOS more or less like a breeze.

However, AirDrop on Macs requires a modern Wi-Fi chipset, meaning older desktops and notebooks may be unsupported. Here’s how to tell if your Mac meets minimum system requirements for AirDrop.

How to manage received AirDrop files with Hazel on Mac

Every waking day I send tons of screenshots from my iPhone to my Mac via AirDrop. And every day I wish that Apple allowed users to customize the AirDrop save location. Not only is the ~/Downloads folder the default save location, but it can’t be modified, not even via undocumented methods.

As a workaround, I use Hazel ($29 w/ free trial) to automate the process of moving images sent via AirDrop to my Desktop. It’s a great workaround that does the job. While it would be nice if Apple allowed you to specify an exact save location, this is probably the next best thing.