What is AirDrop and how to use it?

What is it?

AirDrop is a new function of iOS 7, which can transfer files between iOS devices. However, it should be noted that not all iOS devices can use this function. At present, AirDrop is provided only on iPhone 5/6/6 Plus, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPad Air and iPod Touch5 using iCloud account. In other words, iPhone 4s and its contemporary products don’t support AirDrop.

How to turn it on?

You only need to slide your device from bottom to top to get the menu. And then, you can find AirDrop from Control Center and turn it on. You can also choose “contacts only” or “Everyone” to make yourself discoverable.

If you choose “Contacts Only”, only the contacts in your address book can share your photos, videos, contacts and so on. Airdrop uses wireless network and Bluetooth share files and it can ensure the safety of your shared content without any setup.

How it works?

After tuning on AirDrop, go to photos, contacts, etc., and click the share button, then the system will begin to search the user who have turned on AirDrop nearby and choose the targeted people. It can transfer data at a rapid speed after matching.

When the transfer is finished, these data will be put in the proper place according to their different file types. For example, photos will be stored in “Photos”, while retail coupons, movie tickets, loyalty cards, etc. will be put in “Passbook” and the contacts will be put in “Contacts”, and the like.

Attentions:

1. Since the system will not turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth automatically when you turn off AirDrop, you need to turn off the relative buttons manually if you don’t need to use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi in order to ensure the endurance of your iDevice.

2. If you don’t have Wi-Fi, you can use other methods to transfer or share contents between iOS devices. For example, you can transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone, transfer music from iPad to iPhone by using third party utility.