Use Airdrop on iPhone & iPad to Share Files with Other Apple Devices

3 Parts:

Enable AirDrop on iPhone or iPad

Use AirDrop to Share Files

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Use AirDrop to share files with other nearby Apple devices quickly and efficiently. AirDrop is an Apple Service that uses Bluetooth (ad-hoc network) to send and receive data wirelessly with devices running iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

When Should I Use AirDrop

AirDrop is ideal when you need to send and or receive data with other people or with your other Apple devices. You can choose one of two options; only share with those in your Contacts or with Everyone. The only significant restriction with the service is proximity. AirDrop will only function when the devices are within an acceptable range of one another. Some users have reported issues when attempting to send/receive larger files (1 GB+).

In the following Visi tutorial, we're going to show how to enable and send files using AirDrop. For this guide, we used an iPhone 7 running iOS 14 and an iPad 7th Generation running iPadOS 13.

***DEVICE/OS LIMITATIONS*** *Transfering between two iOS/iPadOS devices requires iOS 7 or higher. *Transfering between two Macs requires OS X LionOS or later. *Transfering between an iOS/iPadOS device and a Mac computer requires the iOS devices to be running iOS 8 or higher, and the Mac must be running OS X Yosemite (10.10) or later.

1. 1
   To access the Control Center, swipe up from the bottom edge of your phone.

   

   If you're using an iPhone X or newer iPad, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen.

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2. 2
   with the Control Center open, tap+hold somewhere in the connections box.

   

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3. 3
   Tap AirDrop.

   

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4. 4
   Select either Contacts Only or Everyone.

   

   Please be careful if you choose Everyone when in a crowded space.

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5. 5
   Tap anywhere outside the Connections box to close it.

   

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6. 6
   Swipe down from top edge or press the home button to close the Control Center.

   

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7. 7
   You can also access AirDrop's options via Settings > General.

   

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8. 8
   Tap AirDrop.

   

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9. 9
   Select either Select either Contacts Only, Everyone, or Receiving Off.

   

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1. 1
   To share a file, go to its location

   .

   For our example, we used the Photos App.

   

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2. 2
   Tap Select.

   

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3. 3
   Select each file you wish to share, then tap the Share icon.

   

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4. 4
   Tap the AirDrop shortcut.

   

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5. 5
   Tap the device or contact(s).

   

   Ensure AirDrop receiving is enabled on the Apple device that will receive the files.

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6. 6
   On the receiving device, tap Accept when the AirDrop dialog pops up.

   

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7. 7
   Once the transfer has completed, your screen will redirect to the default save location with your file(s) visible

   .

   The word LIVE will display in small font, indicating a recent AirDrop transfer.

   

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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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