You’ve probably heard the word AirDrop before, and it’s a tool that Apple devices have, so if you have one or are thinking about getting one and you don’t know how it works, today we’re going to see everything about it so you can learn a little more about the Apple ecosystem.
This is a very popular feature, especially when you discover it and have more than one Apple device, as you can send and receive files between them with such ease that once you use an operating system like Android or Windows, you’ll miss it a lot and won’t know what to do.
What is AirDrop
AirDrop is the name given to the Apple tool that allows you to wirelessly send and receive all types of files between devices that support this feature. This means you can send an uncompressed photo at maximum quality between two iPhones, or even between your phone and your Mac, since they don’t need to be from the same account, although in this case, the other person will have to accept the transfer.
The best thing about this system is its speed, as it uses different methods to ensure very fast uploads, even if the video is hundreds of MB in size. It’s similar to the Bluetooth uploads we used to make in the past, but more advanced and faster, without having to upload anything to the cloud or use external apps.
Which devices are compatible with AirDrop?
AirDrop is available on the following Apple devices:
- iPhone and iPad: Models with iOS 7 or later.
- Mac: 2012 and later models with macOS Yosemite or later.
- iPod touch: models compatible with iOS 7 or higher.
How does AirDrop work?
Step 1: Bluetooth Detection
It all starts when the device sending the file searches for other nearby devices using Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE). This allows it to find potential recipients without draining the battery.
Depending on your AirDrop settings (such as “Contacts Only” or “Everyone”), only devices that are available and ready to receive files will appear. Previously, this could be enabled permanently. Now, if you’re not a contact, you’ll have to select everyone, and it will only last for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Connect via Wi-Fi
Once the device you want to send the file to is detected, both devices connect to each other via Wi-Fi. They don’t need to be connected to the internet or to the same network; a direct and secure connection is created between them, even if they’re in a cave, for example.
Step 3: Security and verification
Before the transfer begins, the connection between the two devices is verified and everything is encrypted. This protects the information during transmission, as it will use waves that travel over the Wi-Fi network created for this process. If the “Contacts Only” option is enabled, the system checks that the devices know each other (for example, by comparing contact information).
Step 4: Sending the file
The sender chooses what they want to share and selects the receiving device. At that point, the other user receives a notification to accept or reject the file. If they accept, the file is quickly transferred over Wi-Fi and saved to the corresponding app (such as Photos, Files, or Contacts). If you use the same iCloud account and the devices are shared, you won’t even be prompted, making it much faster.
Advantages and disadvantages of AirDrop
Here we can see a series of advantages and disadvantages of this method, which, if we have Apple devices, will be ideal.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fast and wireless transfer. | Only works between Apple devices. |
| No internet connection required. | The devices must be physically close (less than 10 m). |
| Lossless files. | There is no advanced control over the destination folder in some cases. |
| Security thanks to end-to-end encryption. | May fail if Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is disabled. |
| Direct integration into the system (no extra apps required). | There is no support for sharing with Android or Windows. |
Future of AirDrop
Apple continues to improve AirDrop with each release of its operating systems. iOS 17, for example, introduced NameDrop, an AirDrop-based feature that lets you share contacts by simply bringing two iPhones together. Additionally, more and more Apple apps are integrating features that allow you to share directly using AirDrop.
Its speed and performance make us think it’s difficult to improve the system, but who knows, maybe they’ll surprise us with some extra or new feature. What’s clear is that there won’t be AirDrop 2.0, as it’s a nearly perfect tool for what we need. So, unless they open the field to other operating systems, there’s not much to expect from its future.
