Ondrej Holzman It doesn't seem like it, but AirDrop has been with us for almost six years. The service, which makes it very easy to transfer files between Macs and iOS devices, was introduced back in the summer of 2011 and has come a long way since then. As such, AirDrop has not changed, but its reliability has improved significantly. And that's key for a feature like this.
I have to admit, few features on Mac or iOS have been as frustrating over the years when they didn't work as they should have been AirDrop. The idea of transferring data between devices as easily and quickly as possible, which can be reminiscent of the old Bluetooth transfers, was great, but the user often encountered the problem that AirDrop simply did not work.
If sending a photo was supposed to be simple and quick, there was no way you would have to wait endless seconds to see if the recipient bubble would even appear. And if it didn't appear in the end, then spend a long time trying to figure out where the problem is - whether it's in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or somewhere where you'll never actually find out and solve it.
Moreover, in its early days, AirDrop could only transfer between two Macs or only between two iOS devices, not across. That is also why the Czech language came in 2013 the Instashare app, which made it possible. What's more, it worked much more reliably than system AirDrop in most cases.
Apple's software engineers in charge of OS X (now macOS) seemed oblivious to AirDrop's dismal performance. In recent months, however, I have begun to notice that something has changed. I missed it for a while, but then I realized: AirDrop is finally working the way it was supposed to all along.
The idea is really good. Virtually anything you can share in some way can also be sent via AirDrop. There is no size limit either, so if you want to send a 5GB movie, go for it. In addition, the transfer, using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, is very fast. Gone are the days when it was faster to send a more "complicated" photo via iMessage because AirDrop didn't work.
It's a relatively small detail, but I felt the need to mention it, whether or not Apple's developers were directly targeting the AirDrop fix. Personally, I don't like to use features that I can't guarantee 100% reliability. That's also why I used the just-mentioned Instashare for a long time years ago, even though it obviously didn't have system integration.
In iOS 10, AirDrop is a fixed part of the sharing menu, and if you haven't used it much before, I recommend getting back to it. In my experience, it finally works reliably. There's usually no faster way to share links, contacts, apps, photos, songs, or other documents on iPhone or iPad.
How exactly AirDrop works, what needs to be turned on and what devices you need to have we have already described on Jablíčkář, so there is no need to repeat it again. In iOS everything is simple, on Mac I still have some reservations about the fact that AirDrop is part of the sidebar of the Finder and sending files is sometimes a bit of a headache, but the main thing is that it works. Also, if you learn how to use the share button on a Mac like the one on iOS (which I still can't learn), it will be easier with AirDrop as well.
Jun 18, 2016, 11:32 am - error in linked article.
MBP 17″ 2011 – full functionality with everything (ethernet, air and on iOS) instructions and what module to buy for 2009+ devices (MM and MBP, maybe MB too) can be sent.
Here, everyone will tell you that it is not related to the module and it is just a matter of SW :D
June 18, 2016, 11:32 am - typo when translating WP module?
10.12.4 still working with tool midday beta – https://github.com/dokterdok/Continuity-Activation-Tool
FULL models supported here!
https://github.com/dokterdok/Continuity-Activation-Tool/wiki/Compatibility
I have a macbook pro 2010 and an iphone 7. will it send between them?
Unfortunately, this transfer will not work for you, see https://support.apple.com/cs-cz/HT203106 https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a700d32d957c7ddedd3ce8a68a7e6d77e41064f5aa7bc4cad5898699bc4df06e.png
what kind of bullshit is that? so between macbooks i can but not iphone?
Apple has changed the protocol by which AirDrop communicates, and older Macs do not support it.
which again is just a problem that the engineers at AAPL simply did not implement it. I don't see the slightest problem with the hardware. Plus, it's interesting that one of my older 2011s supports airdrop in some mysterious way (if it works).
Agreed, it is of course the so-called planned obsolescence. Probably similar to fce Night Shift, which does not work on older Mac and iOS devices, but here there is clearly not a single meaningful reason why this is so.
How did they not implement? You can see from the website that airdrop also works on older Macs like 2012, it's just not possible to send to iOS, but only to Mac, due to hw limitations.
If they wanted this to become obsolete, they wouldn't put it there at all, would they? Doesn't it have to be what latest OS the machine uses or what version of bluetooth it has?
my wife has a mid2010 MBP and I have an early 2013 MBP it works between them but mid2010 and iPhone SE or 7 no communication even my old MBP2010 won't even connect via bluetooth from iPhoneSE
However, it can be seen in the attached image, or in the linked document, that you need a MacBook from at least 2012 to send between an iPhone and a Mac.
Well, just last week I was swearing at him... I couldn't send a few photos from the iP6 to either the iPSE or the iPad Air for God's sake and I restarted all the devices many times... I'm going for the iP7Plus tomorrow, so we'll see if anything improves, but I doubt it. when the systems are the same everywhere…
I'm missing the point of sending photos between two you have the same iCloud. Or was the same iCloud not there?
On the other hand, I wanted to try uploading it to the iPad when it failed elsewhere... :)
And was there the same iCloud account? Because if so, then iCloud Library solves this after all - I don't know why to send photos to another device when they are there practically immediately as part of sharing. ?
PhotoStream does not always work correctly. The iCloud library is not always the right solution and functional for the given use.
I also noticed that it suddenly works. But when I need something like that, I still reach for Instashare. I just got used to it over the years.
I don't trust Apple anymore. Bastion.
No, AirDrop still doesn't work reliably. And especially in situations where things are in a hurry, he doesn't forget to remind us that we are with Apple.