airdropping between iphone 6s and iphone xr.

Howdy Sunchick116,

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities! I understand that you can AirDrop from your iPhone XR to your iPhone 6s, but unable to AirDrop from your iPhone 6s to your iPhone XR. Let’s take a look and see what we can do. I'm happy to help!

Let's first try following this guide that I was able to gather on your iPhone XR and iPhone 6s.

How to use AirDrop on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

"Before you begin"

• Make sure that the person you're sending to is nearby and within Bluetooth and Wi-Fi range.
• Check that you and the person you're sending to have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. If either of you have Personal Hotspot on, turn it off.
• Check if the person you're sending to has their AirDrop set to receive from Contacts Only. If they do, and you’re in their Contacts, they need to have your email address or mobile number in your contact card for AirDrop to work.
• If you're not in their Contacts, have them set their AirDrop receiving setting to Everyone in order to receive the file.

"How to adjust AirDrop settings"

To choose who can see your device and send you content in AirDrop:

1. Go to Settings, tap General.
2. Tap AirDrop, then choose an option.

You can also set your AirDrop options in Control Center. Here's how:

1. On iPhone X or later, or an iPad with iOS 12 or later or iPadOS, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen to open Control Center. On iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
2. Press firmly or touch and hold the network settings card in the upper-left corner.
3. Touch and hold the AirDrop button , then choose one of these options:

• • Receiving Off: You won't receive AirDrop requests. 
  • Contacts Only: Only your contacts can see your device.
  • Everyone: All nearby Apple devices using AirDrop can see your device.

Please respond back if you continue to have any issues.

Best regards!

Hello Sunchick116,

Thanks for that follow-up information. We appreciate it.

Let's try to make sure your iPhone 6s is fully up-to-date on software. Please backup your information before performing any software update.

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

If your iPhone 6s is fully up-to-date with AirDrop still not working let's try to reset your network settings.

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won’t connect to a Wi-Fi network.

Specifically, "Still can’t connect?"

Reset your Network Settings. Tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This also resets Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN and APN settings that you’ve used before.

Best regards!