How to Fix Airdrop Not Working on iPhone/iPad iOS 11

Airdrop not working on iPhone/iPad in iOS 11 bothers many iOS users. Read more to learn how to fix airdrop not working in iOS 11, and airdrop files between iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Updated Jan 22,2017 | by Shannon

AirDrop is a peer to peer technology mostly used by Apple product. This technology is used to transfer photos and contacts wirelessly between iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac. The technology was first introduced by Apple in Mac OS X Lion and iOS 7. But with the update of iOS 11, the issue of AirDrop not working on iPhone/iPad in iOS 11 has been bothering many users. So how to fix this problem? Before you look for the solutions, there's something you need to know about AirDrop first.

Things You Need to Know about AirDrop

AirDrop uses a low latency, high-speed peer to peer protocol that transfers data. It mostly uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transfer content between nearby devices. But AirDrop is not supported by all Apple devices and iOS systems. It only works in devcies running in iOS 7, Mac OS X lion (10.7) and later. To transfer content, the distance between both devices would better be no more than 30 feet (about 9 meters). The best part about AirDrop is that it encrypts the content before it is transferred over the air. This will enable security and privacy for your data when transferring.

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How to Fix AirDrop Not Working on iPhone/iPad in iOS 11

If the iOS devices are all supported by AirDrop, and the distance between two devices is not too wide, and AirDrop still not working on iPhone/iPad, you may try the following solutions.

Set up AirDrop: Turn on AirDrop

In order to AirDrop contents, you need to make sure that both the devices have AirDrop turned on.There are three options in AirDrop. You can choose to receive content sharing from contacts or everyone nearby. The first thing you need to do is to turn off AirDrop and turn it back on. It works most of the time. To turn on AirDrop you have to open the Control Center which you can do by swiping from the bottom edge of your phone. Then you should tap AirDrop. Select whether you are transferring to everyone or contacts only.

When you are using contacts only you have to specify who you are going to pair with. If you are having trouble with transferring data via AirDrop by selecting contacts only, the easiest to do is select everyone and transfer content.

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But, what should we do if AirDrop not showing up in Control Center on iPhone?

Some users are reporting that AirDrop totally not showing up in Control Center. That's because they may restrict AirDrop in devices. If you encountered the same question, all you need to do is: Go to Settings>General>Restrictions, enter password when needed, toggle on Airdrop option if it's closed. Now you'll find AirDrop in Control Center.

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Match your devices

This process should be done when you are trying to use AirDrop share something. If you want to match with Mac and it's not showing up on your device when AirDrop content, you can put the Mac in an AirDrop ready state by clicking on the AirDrop in Finder.

Turn Off and On WiFi and Bluetooth

Since AirDrop works with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, you can try turning WiFi and Bluetooth off and on. Normally when you press AirDrop WiFi and Bluetooth automatically turn on. Just try to turn it on and off to see if it works. You can also turn these on and off while being in Airplane Mode. iPhone cancels all mobile network connections in this mode.

Reset Manually

This is more commonly known as a factory reset where your iPhone will go back to its original factory settings. Keep in mind that this process will delete all your apps and will remove all your contacts and data, so please backup everything before you do a hard reset. Click here to learn more about how to backup your iPhone to computer .

Check for the Update of your iPhone or Mac

AirDrop might not work if you have forgotten to do a few updates. This is mostly the case with many AirDrop problems.

If all the above mechanisms fail, you can always call Apple. Because sometimes it really is a problem like a faulty of electronics in your devices caused AirDrop not working in iPhone/iPad.

Alternative to AirDrop for iPhone/iPad in iOS 11

With AirDrop, you can only share photos and contacts to other iOS devices nearby. There are some alternatives to AirDrop which can do better in iPhone transfer. IOTransfer, an all-in-one iPhone transfer software, can transfer photos, videos, music, contacts from iPhone to iPhone/iPad/PC without iTunes. Now let's see how IOTransfer works.

Step 1 Download IOTransfer, and install on Windows PC

Step 2 Connect both iPhones (or multiple iOS devices) to computer and run IOTransfer. The basic infomation of all devices will be listed on the home page.

Step 3 Choose “Sync to Device”

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