Your Mac must be running at least OS X Yosemite or later, and your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch must be updated to iOS 8 or later. If you have an iPhone 5 or iPod touch 5th generation or later, an iPad 4 or iPad Mini or later, or a Mac released in 2012 and beyond, excluding the mid-2012 Mac Pro, you should be able to use Airdrop with no problems. Check out these tips for ways to send larger files. Pro Tip: Although AirDrop is generally fast, sending larger files can take longer. When you AirDrop media, it will alert the other person immediately, and they’ll be able to accept what you’ve sent. Despite using a Bluetooth connection to make this work, AirDrop is incredibly fast. All the files sent are encrypted, and the sending and receiving devices create a firewall around the connection and communicate directly by using Bluetooth. AirDrop looks for nearby devices to create this network with, and can look relatively far if you’re a couple of rooms away from someone, you’ll probably still be able to AirDrop them files. It’s one of the most painless Apple Continuity features it’s easy to use and works exactly as it should.ĪirDrop provides a fast, secure way to transfer data between Apple Devices by creating a P2P (Peer-to-Peer) Wi-Fi connection. You can AirDrop your own files and photos between your devices, but you can also AirDrop a picture to a friend if they are nearby, which is faster and involves less fuss than sending it via Messages or Mail. So, what is AirDrop, exactly? AirDrop is an Apple feature that allows you to wirelessly transfer media between your iOS and Mac devices.

Related: iCloud Guide: Top Tips for Understanding and Using iCloud What Is AirDrop?

Once you know how to use AirDrop, you’ll never go back.

Let's go over what AirDrop is below, as well as how to turn AirDrop on, how AirDrop works, and how to use AirDrop whether you’re on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. As long as you have relatively recent devices running on an updated operating system, you’re probably already set up to use AirDrop. You can also AirDrop from iPhone to iPhone. You can AirDrop pictures and files from your iPad to your friend’s iPhone or from your iPhone to your Mac for an easy transfer. What is AirDrop? Apple's AirDrop feature is a quick and easy way to share files, photos, videos, contacts, and more between Apple devices.

Airdrop files on mac