AirDrop: What It Is, How It Works And What You Can Share With Apple’s Wireless System

We are going to explain what AirDrop is and how it works, the wireless technology created by Apple to share files between devices. This is an exclusive technology of Apple devices, which allows you to share photos, songs, videos, links, or whatever you want in the easiest way possible.

We are going to start the article by simply explaining to you what exactly AirDrop is. We’ll then go on to tell you how it works at the user level and internal level, and we’ll finish by giving you some examples of what you can share with this method.

What is AirDrop

AirDrop is a system created by Apple to send files between devices that are of its brand. The idea is to make it possible to send files or other types of things between devices as easily as possible without having to configure anything and with as little data as possible.

Apple equips all the devices it makes with AirDrop, from Mac computers to iPhones or Apple TVs. But only on Apple devices, since it is a proprietary technology that Android phones and Windows computers do not include, a strategy to ensure that if you have a friend with an iPhone, you can share files better if you also have it.

As for Apple devices, you will be able to send files between all of them regardless of the operating system. Come on, a mobile with iOS can send files to or receive them from a Mac with macOS. You won’t even need it to be your device, since you can also send or receive files from other people’s Apple devices.

How AirDrop works

Externally, AirDrop works simply since it is integrated into the share menu of Apple operating systems. When you go to share a file, in the options, you will see AirDrop or directly the devices that are compatible with AirDrop, and you only have to click on them to send the file. If only the AirDrop icon appears, tap it to see all the compatible devices within reach.

And internally, AirDrop works using Bluetooth and WiFi. What it does is communicate through another device via Bluetooth, and create a WiFi network between them to share the file. WiFi is created directly between the devices, so you don’t need both to be on the same network.

When the connection is created, each device creates a firewall around it, and the files are sent encrypted. Therefore, if they were intercepted along the way, it would not be possible to know what the data packet that is sent from one device to another contains.

In addition to this, AirDrop can automatically detect nearby compatible devices, and they only need to be close enough to establish a good WiFi connection. This makes it possible to share files between devices in different rooms of a home.

The advantage that this technology has over others that we see that share files through NFC or other technologies is that WiFi is much faster for exchanging files. Also, Bluetooth is only used to connect both devices and have them generate the network.

The exchange is done automatically. If you are going to send something to someone, just choose the document, choose the share option, and click on the device to which you are going to send it. And that’s it. And if someone sends you something, you just have to accept the receipt, and your Apple device will take care of saving it in memory or opening it.

What can you use AirDrop for?

You can use AirDrop to send any type of file from one device to another. For example, you can send photos, videos, or audio, and the exchange will take place at full speed. You can also send other file types.

You will be able to share almost any file that can be shared, such as web links. So if you’re viewing a web page on an iPhone you can send it to your Mac or iPad to continue reading it there, or to someone nearby’s iPhone so they can read the file too.