Updated
July 21, 2016.
AirDrop is extremely cool and useful, but unfortunately, it is one of those features most people don't know about not because it is hard to use -- it isn't -- but because most people don't think to look for it. AirDrop makes sharing files, especially photos, much easier. But most of the time when we want to share a photo with someone, we just send it to them in a text message. Which is easy enough, but when that someone is standing right beside you, it is even easier to simply use AirDrop.
AirDrop isn't just for photos, of course. You can use it to transfer almost anything that you can share. For example, you can AirDrop an website from your iPad to your friend's phone, which is great if they want to bookmark to read later. Or what about a grocery list? You can Airdrop text from Notes to someone else's iPad or iPhone. You can AirDrop anything from a playlist to a location you've pinned in Apple Maps. Want to share your contact information? AirDrop it.
Ready to give it a try? Skip directly to How to Use AirDrop.
How Does AirDrop Work?
AirDrop uses Bluetooth to create a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi network between the devices. Each device creates a firewall around the connection and files are sent encrypted, which actually makes it safer than transferring via email. AirDrop will automatically detect nearby supported devices, and the devices only need to be close enough to establish a good Wi-Fi connection, making it possible to share files across several rooms.
One advantage to AirDrop is the use of Wi-Fi to make the connection.
Some apps provide a similar file sharing capability using Bluetooth. And some Android devices use a combination of Near Field Communications (NFC) and Bluetooth to share files. But both Bluetooth and NFC are relatively slow compared Wi-Fi, which makes sharing larger files using AirDrop much faster and more convenient.
AirDrop Supported Devices:
AirDrop is supported on the iPad 4, iPad Mini, iPhone 5 and iPod Touch 5 and newer devices including the iPad Air and iPad Pro models. It is also supported on Macs with OS X Lion, although Macs released earlier than 2010 may not be supported.
---Next: How to Turn On AirDrop-->