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Airdrop

Forrest Stroud
Last Updated May 24, 2021 7:34 am

A file sharing feature from Apple available on mobile devices running the iOS 7 (and later) mobile operation system as well as laptops and desktops running Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and later. Photos and videos can be shared with AirDrop, as well as notes, URLs, Passbook passes, contact cards, iTunes Radio stations, app listings and more.

AirDrop utilizes a combination of Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi technology when sharing files between devices, with Bluetooth responsible for device discovery and secure connections, and Wi-Fi used for handling the actual transfer of files for faster performance.

AirDrop debuted with the release of Mac OS X Lion, and iOS 7 brought the feature to all iPhone 5 models, the iPod touch 5th generation, the iPad 2 and later releases, and the iPad Mini. It’s important to note though that at this time AirDrop cannot be used across the Mac OS X and iOS 7 platforms.