How Do You Airdrop From Macbook To Iphone

AirDrop

AirDrop, a secure, ad-hoc Wi-Fi transfer protocol created by Apple, began life on OS X Lion as a way to easily move files from Mac to Mac and person to person. Pretty much any file available in the Finder can be shared via OS X AirDrop. After a couple of attempts to move it to iOS met with rejections — it was deemed too complicated for mainstream customers — a new, though incompatible version was created specifically for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and released as part of iOS 7. Since iOS has no file system, only items available in the Share sheet — photos, videos, locations, voice memos, notes, etc. — can be shared via AirDrop.

iOS 7 AirDrop uses both Bluetooth 4.0 LE and Wi-Fi, and iOS 7's multi-peer networking, to transfer data. That makes the effective range about 30-feet. Bluetooth is used to broadcast, discover, and negotiate the connection, at which point it's handed off to Wi-Fi for the actual transfer. This allows for the best mix of Bluetooth power savings and Wi-Fi transfer speeds.

How to use AirDrop for iPhone and iPad: The ultimate guide

Rene Ritchie 7 years ago

AirDrop began as an OS X Lion feature that let Mac users easily beam files to each other over an ad-hoc Wi-Fi connection. Now that functionality has been extended to iOS and as of iOS 8, even allows you to share your files between compatible Macs and iOS devices. Whether you're in the same office, school, home, park, plane, or anywhere within Bluetooth and Wi-Fi range, AirDrop is...

AirDrop replaces Snapchat

Some teens turn to AirDrop instead of Snapchat and Instagram

Peter Cohen 6 years ago

Sharing photos is a popular pastime for teens with smartphones, and there's no shortage of services to cater to them — Snapchat and Instagram remain popular options. But there's another way to share photos and other files that may be picking up steam, especially among young people with iPhones: AirDrop. AirDrop, built right into iOS, enables iPhone users to exchange files with one...

Continuity continued

What we'd like to see next from Handoff, relay, and more!

Rene Ritchie 6 years ago

Continuity is one of the major new features across Apple's new operating systems, iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, and the one that's best embodied Apple's "integration" theme. It lets you AirDrop just about anything between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It makes hotspots instantly available. It relays your phone calls and SMS/MMS between your iPhone and your iPad or Mac, and back again. And it...

Mastering Continuity

How Apple keeps AirDrop files private and secure

Rene Ritchie 7 years ago

AirDrop, part of Apple's Continuity features, makes it easy to share files between your iPhone, iPad, and/or Mac. It's especially useful for files that are larger than Messages or Mail can comfortably handle, and for situations where you want to transfer directly, without any information going over the internet. You have to be within range of Bluetooth Low Energy (BT LE), and have Wi-Fi...

How To!

Use AirDrop with pre-2012 Macs

Serenity Caldwell 7 years ago

We love AirDrop, which allows people to wirelessly share files between their Macs and iOS devices. But, as with Continuity's other features, pre-2012 Macs are feeling a bit left out. Sadly, there's no way to convince an older Mac to share a file with your iPhone or iPad, but you can transfer files between newer Macs and older Macs. Why can't my older Mac see my iPhone in AirDrop? If...

How To!

Don't get trolled on AirDrop

Serenity Caldwell 7 years ago

The Verge's Josh Lowensohn has recently been partaking in a time-honored Internet technology tradition—light trolling. His method of choice? AirDrop, Apple's wireless file-sharing technology that allows you to send just about anything to iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Each day I get on the train to make the half hour voyage into San Francisco for work, I am surrounded by people using...

At The Core

iOS-to-Mac-to-iOS AirDrop, explained!

Serenity Caldwell 7 years ago

AirDrop is pretty much magic for folks like me who need to swap files between iOS devices and Macs on a daily basis. But even if you need the service on a more sporadic basis, you might benefit from checking out the video above. In it: I talk about why I love AirDrop, what I use it for, a few troubleshooting tips, and files you might not necessarily want to transfer between your Mac and...

AirDrop in Yosemite

How to use AirDrop on the Mac

Peter Cohen 7 years ago

If you need to send a file to another Mac or iOS device user, OS X Yosemite makes it more convenient than ever by using AirDrop. AirDrop provides a configuration-free way to share files, and is available for use between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac for the first time ever. Here's how it works! Remember, AirDrop is a point-to-point file sharing system, so your recipient, either on their...