Why does my iPhone keep losing Airdrop?

Question

Why does my iPhone keep losing Airdrop?

My iPhone 13 mini (IoS 17.1.1) keeps losing Airdrop. It usually happens when I come "back to base", ie, back home to my iMac when at home, or back to my MacBook Air when I am away from home. When I then try to use AirDrop to transfer FROM my iPhone, I get the message "No people found".

I am currently at home. If I launch AirDrop on iMac or MacBook Air (both on Ventura), the iPhone appears, and I can transfer TO the iPhone from both devices. But I am unable to transfer FROM the iPhone to either device.

So far, I have been able to restore AirDrop by restarting the iPhone, but it's a pain to have to do so. Does anyone know why this loss of AirDrop happens, and how to restore it, short of restarting? Turning WiFi/Bluetooth/Airplane mode on and off does not work.

Thanks!

iMac (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Dec 19, 2023 6:08 AM

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Answer 1

SravanKrA

Level 10

431,548 points

Dec 19, 2023 8:35 AM in response to Neville Goodman1

Please check your Screen Time restrictions on your iPhone.

Screen Time

Settings > Screen Time > Content and Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps > AirDrop [Enable]

Watch the GIF below

If you have Contacts Only turned On then please add Apple ID of the sending device to your list of contacts on the receiving device. See the pic at the bottom of this post for better clarity

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.

You can put your AirDrop receiving setting to Contacts Only or Receiving Off at any time to control who can see your device and send you content in AirDrop.

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Why does my iPhone keep losing Airdrop?

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