AirDrop

Apple releases OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

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

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 27, 2022

AirDrop simplifies wireless file sharing between Macs and iOS devices without having to connect to an existing network or going through the hassle of typing a password.

Every Mac bought in almost the last decade supports AirDrop. But if you have an old Mac and are wondering if it supports AirDrop or not, this tutorial will help.

How to manage received AirDrop files with Hazel on Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

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.

AnyDrop 3: share any file via AirDrop on iOS 8

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Developer Majd Alfhaily is back with a new iOS 8-ready version of AnyDrop, the jailbreak app that allows you to share any file via the built-in AirDrop feature on iOS 8. Entitled AnyDrop 3, this latest version of the app supports both iOS 7 and iOS 8 out of the box. If you're interested in unleashing AirDrop, making it compatible with native file system files and even Music app tracks, then AnyDrop 3 is a jailbreak app that's worth investigating.

How to use AirDrop between OS X Yosemite and iOS 8

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated November 1, 2014

AirDrop is a file transmission tool that first debuted in OS X Lion. Prior to iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, the AirDrop protocols between Mac and iOS were not compatible. This incompatibility made AirDrop worthless in the eyes of many, as most casual users would prefer to exchange data between a Mac and an iOS device, instead of two Macs.

The AirDrop issue has been solved in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. AirDrop now works beautifully between a Mac and an iPhone, or a Mac and an iPad. It’s a great way to make quick transmissions between local devices. Watch our video walkthrough after the break for a demonstration of AirDrop in action.

Read this before upgrading your iPhone 4s to iOS 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 17, 2014

Think twice before updating your rusty old iPhone 4s to the just-released iOS 8 because Apple's feature-packed upgrade makes its handset run most tasks about two times (or more) slower.

iOS 8 will slow down common tasks on the handset, including approximately two times slower launching of stock apps, almost three seconds longer booting and more, ArsTechnica reported Wednesday.

In addition to the performance hit, the three-year-old handset is incompatible with certain hardware-dependent iOS 8 features such as Handoff, AirDrop, the OpenGL ES 3.0 and Metal graphics run-time and more.

Microsoft’s OneDrive for iOS now supports AirDrop, adaptive video streaming and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

Having more than doubled free OneDrive tier from seven to fifteen gigabytes of cloud storage, Microsoft today rolled out an update to its free OneDrive client for iPhone and iPad.

In addition to the inevitable bug fixes and performance improvements, OneDrive now lets you share files via Apple's AirDrop technology and includes HLS support which lets it adapt to your available bandwidth when video-streaming...

AnyDrop 2: share any file using AirDrop

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 29, 2014

AirDrop is such a good feature, but on a jailbroken iPhone it's been turned into a great feature. That's because there's AnyDrop 2—a jailbreak tweak that supercharges the concept of AirDrop, and makes it accessible for any file on the native file system.

Imagine iFile with AirDrop sharing, and you pretty much have AnyDrop. It's more than that, though, because AnyDrop allows you to share media files from your Music app library, Video app library, and Photo app library. It even comes bundled with a hidden feature that lets you download and share YouTube videos called YouTubeDrop.

Needless to Say, AnyDrop 2 is a great jailbreak tweak to have if you're interested in getting more than the pedestrian experience out of AirDrop. Watch our video after the break to see what I mean.

Apple patents mysterious Nearby icon, believed to be part of iOS 7 AirDrop

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 25, 2013

Among the 35 patents the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple Tuesday was a design for a never before seen icon entitled Nearby. The icon could describe a wireless transfer feature expected in iOS 7, called Airdrop. This latest patent dump also unveils new emoticons for Messages, as well as another design patent for Apple's Lightning adapter...

iOS 7 simplifies file sharing with AirDrop

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 10, 2013

In addition to Control Center, a new iOS 7 feature which puts often used Settings toggled just a swipe away anywhere in the system, Apple has also made it easier to send your files and documents to other iOS devices and Macs with AirDrop. As you know, Apple launched AirDrop on Macs with OS X Lion.

AirDrop talks to devices directly over Wi-Fi, without the need for an Internet connection or having to join a Wi-Fi network. In fact, the system is hassle-free in that you don't need to configure anything - it just works...

Apple looking to add new AirDrop file sharing feature in iOS 7

Cody Lee ∙ June 2, 2013

Everything we've heard regarding iOS 7 up to this point suggests that the update will be rather significant in terms of UI changes. Icons and several other elements have been reportedly redesigned to give the software a more modern look. But what about new features?

According to a new report, in addition to improved in-car behavior for Siri and Maps, and system-level integration of Vimeo and Flickr, Apple is also working on AirDrop for iOS. The feature, which is already available on OS X, will make it easier than ever to share files with other iOS devices...

This is what AirDrop for iOS should look like

Cody Lee ∙ June 8, 2012

If you've ever used a Mac running OS X Lion, then there's a good chance you've played with AirDrop. The drag-and-drop feature allows users to share content between computers on a common Wi-Fi network with understated ease.

It's such a cool feature, in fact, that a lot of folks have wondered when Apple is going to bring it to iOS. Just imagine dragging and dropping files to your iPhone or iPad — it'd be awesome. Especially if it looked anything like this...