No airdrop between iPhone 12 and Mid 2012 MacBook Pro

I have same problem too. I have mid 2012 macbook pro and mac mini. Those are can transfer all files between each other. But I have brand new Iphone 12 Pro Max. I can't send anything from my phone to macbook or mac mini. This happened after IOS update on my Iphone. What is going on guys!!!

Hi ! i have exactly the same issue, and to answer your questions :

• i am able to successfully airdrop to my iPhone 5S but not to iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 is not detected in airdrop in my MacBook pro(mid 12) and vice versa.
• no error msg(as it is not getting detected)
• yes, MacBook is not getting detected too in iPhone 12.

firewall is turned off.

Note:Airdrop working fine between my iPhone 5S and MacBook pro(mid 12) both ways. only problem is when i try airdrop between iPhone 12 and mac.

appreciate the solution please, anyone.

Hello Slavin98,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities! We understand that you're experiencing issues with using AirDrop between your iPhone and MacBook Pro. We're happy to help with this.

You've completed some great troubleshooting on your own, so we'd like to know more about the exact behavior you're experiencing to determine our next steps.

-Are you able to successfully AirDrop content to other devices without issue?

-What occurs when you attempt to AirDrop from the iPhone 12 to MacBook Pro?

-Do you receive an error?

-Is the MacBook not detected?

In the meantime, are there any third-party software installed on either device such as a VPN, security software, or firewall? If so, does disabling produce a different result? We look forward to hearing back from you!

Regards.

Slavin98 wrote:

Has anyone found a solution for the issue of airdrop not working between iPhone 12 and MacBook Pro? I’ve seen a few others with mid 2012 Macbook Pros on here with the same issue. I’ve tried restarting both devices, turning on and off the Bluetooth and WiFi, and checking that Handshake is set up correctly but none work…would really appreciate an answer as a teacher who needs to use airdrop often and can’t afford another laptop!

Old issue, new issue, what changed?

You do not specify what macOS you are currently running on your 2012 MBP ?

Your best chance is being as current as you can be in the macOS, in your case macOS Catalina 10.15.7

I will say on my mid 2012 MBP—I found Airdrop to be finicky at best, and there is not straight forward resolve here why sometimes it worked sometimes it did not work.

As the divide between older macOS and a newer iOS may exacerbate this issue.

I have a very similar setup, so I'm wondering if you ever solved this.

My 2012 MacBook Pro and Mac Mini can AirDrop to each other and were able to AirDrop to/from my iPhone 6, but after trading it in for a new iPhone SE, I can't AirDrop to or from either of the Macs. They can still AirDrop to each other, and the new iPhone can AirDrop to other iPhones, but my Macs can't see it and it can't see them. I'm running iOS 14.7.1.

Any thoughts?

I had the same problem with Mac Air 2013 and iPhone 11. It has worked in the past. Sending from phone to Mac just a foot away did not work. Then the message "AirDrop form iPhone was cancelled" on my mac that showed me the photo.

But it was not in Airdrop as I seem to recall in the past.

Using Finder, I went to DOWNLOADS and the photo was there. I'm not sure if the default location has changed, if I may have changed it, or if my memory is faulty. :)

Check your Downloads folder. Tell me if it works for you.

Jarmaracark wrote:

Check your Downloads folder. Tell me if it works for you.

Nope. I thank you for the suggestion, but the iPhone cannot even see the Mac in the AirDrop window and vice versa, so it never gets to the point that I can initiate a transfer. There's nothing in the downloads folder.

My mid 2012 macbook pro already has Catalina 10.15.7.

My Iphone 12 Pro Max update itself during the night time. And this problem came up!

Make sure they are on the same wifi network. I'm not sure if the band is important, but I'd do that as well. And check that bluetooth is on.