4 tips for making the most of AirPlay and AirDrop on Apple devices

Whether we want to play high-quality music, send photos to someone or watch movies on a larger screen, there are several different ways to connect devices. AirPlay and AirDrop services are implemented in Apple devices - the first one ensures streaming of multimedia content to smart TVs or speakers, AirDrop is the easiest way to send files between individual Apple products. If you're rooted in the Apple ecosystem, tips for using AirPlay and AirDrop will surely come in handy - we'll look at four of them below.

Stream music to HomePod

If you own a HomePod and one of the newer iPhones that feature the U1 chip, you can AirPlay the audio to the speaker by simply holding your phone up to the top of the HomePod. However, it may happen that for some reason the function does not work properly for you, but this can be solved quite easily. First of all make sure you are connected to the same WiFi network as the HomePod, and if you are still facing the problem then follow the steps below. Open it Settings -> General -> AirPlay and Handoff a activate switch Forward to HomePod. From now on AirPlay playback should work properly.

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Automatic streaming to TVs

If you own an Apple TV or one of the TVs that support AirPlay, you may have encountered a situation where you wanted to watch a movie on your iPhone or iPad, but the device automatically found the TV and started feeding the content via AirPlay. While this feature may come in handy for many of you, it certainly isn't the case in all situations. So, if you want to reset the automatic feeding, then move to Settings -> General -> AirPlay and Handoff and after shouting the section Automatic AirPlay to TV select from the options Never, Ask or Automatically. This way you can customize your streaming exactly as you need it.

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Visibility settings in AirDrop

AirDrop is a fairly secure service where you have to confirm that you really want the file before sending it. However, there are users who don't want strangers to be able to find them, or even feel better if no one can find them through AirDrop. To set visibility, go to Settings -> General -> AirDrop and click on one of the options here Reception is turned off, Contacts only or All.

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AirPlay or AirDrop not working

From time to time, it may happen that one of the services does not work on a particular device. For AirPlay, both the device you want to stream from and the TV or speaker must be connected to the same WiFi network. Also, make sure you have all your devices updated to the latest software. For AirDrop, Bluetooth must be enabled, devices must be updated, and personal hotspot must not be enabled on any of them.