Network and connectivity
AirDrop
Most people call this sending files to nearby Apple devices.
AirDrop sends photos and files directly to nearby Apple devices, and the discovery setting decides who can see you.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 16 and later
- Settings
- General
- AirDrop
What it does
Receiving Off means nobody can send to you. Contacts Only means only people in your contacts who are signed into iCloud. Everyone for 10 Minutes opens it briefly and then closes again by itself.
What changes
When it is on
People in the chosen group can offer you files.
When it is off
Nobody can send to you, and you can still send to others.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Fast local transfer with no cloud or cable.
- Contacts Only is safe and covers most real use.
Good reasons to turn it off
- Everyone invites unsolicited files in public.
- The ten minute limit exists precisely because of that.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
Depends how you use it
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Contacts Only.
Questions people actually ask
- Why is AirDrop not working?
- Check Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on, that Receiving is not Off, and that Personal Hotspot is not running.
If it is not working
- Both devices need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, and neither can be in Aeroplane Mode.
- Contacts Only requires both people to be signed into iCloud with each other's details saved.
- Sensitive Content Warning blurs unwanted images that arrive this way.