Appearing for the first time on iPhones with iOS 7 as well as on Macs running OS X Lion, the AirDrop feature developed by Apple offers the user the ability to exchange content with another nearby Apple device via the Finder or Control Center. So let’s see how to use this practical and functional application on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac.
To Enable AirDrop on Mac or iMac, click Desktop to activate the Finder, select Go > AirDrop.
The AirDrop window will open and in case your Wifi or Bluetooth connection is disabled, a button will allow you to activate it.
You can also access AirDrop on your Mac via a Mac shortcut. By simultaneously typing ⇧ ⌘ R, you will arrive directly in the application.
Thanks to the partnership between Samsung and Microsoft, file exchange is possible in the same way as with Apple’s AirDrop between a Windows PC and a Samsung smartphone via the “Your Phone” service, which also allows you to send messages from your computer.
AirDrop is a technology exclusively reserved for aircraft from the brand to the apple. Nevertheless, Android, which is the operating system of the giant Google, now offers a similar application to transfer files from one device to another with Nearby Share, which uses a Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, WebRTC or Wi-Fi P2P connection to exchange photos, videos and other documents without even needing an internet connection.
Available for smartphones that integrate Android 6 and later versions, it is also recently available on Chromebooks.
To use AirDrop on a Mac, you have two options. For the first one :
For the second possibility :
If you want to share files with another Apple device such as an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch via AirDrop, follow these steps:
And that’s it! The file is already transferred.
On Mac, when a nearby device wants to transfer files to you via AirDrop, the request appears as a notification in the app window. You can accept or decline the content. Once accepted, it will be saved in the downloads folder by default.
When someone wants to share content with you through the AirDrop application, you receive an alert message on your iPhone, iPad or iTouch with a small preview of what you will receive. This message will give you the option to Accept or Decline it. Logically, if you select Decline, the file will be rejected. On the other hand, if you choose Accept, you will receive the file.
If the download folder is the central location for Macs, on iPhone, AirDropped files will be located in different places depending on the type of file being saved.
Photos and videos transferred to your device via AirDrop will thus appear in the Photos app, while other files such as PDF, doc, text, etc. will give you the possibility to open and store them in different options.
To change the name of your Mac to easily and wirelessly send your photos, documents, text, etc. to an iPhone, iPad or iPad Touch via AirDrop,
On the Mac, the visibility of your AirDrop application is determined as follows: Open Finder > Tap on AirDrop > Click on Allow me to be discovered by Person/Contacts only/All > select your option
Since Apple has made the (wrong) choice to assign the same name to its devices by default, i.e. iPhone for apple brand smartphones for example, confusion can quickly set in if you find yourself in a busy place and you have not customized your device. To avoid such a situation and customize the name of your AirDrop, follow these few steps:
You can also, via the AirDrop application, choose to be visible by Person, Contacts Only or Everyone. To determine this visibility, open Settings > General > AirDrop > Select your visibility.
Any Apple device can use AirDrop as long as it is equipped with Bluetooth and Wifi. The two devices using this application for file transfer must be within nine meters of each other so that a firewall can be created around the Wi-Fi connection and the data can be encrypted.
Thus, iPhone 5 and above, iPad 4 and above, iPad Mini, iPod Touch 5 and above and Macs with 10.7 and above can use AirDrop.
If you find that your AirDrop application does not work, try these tips:
So, are you ready to make more use of this feature now?