iPhone 16 Pro Max: Mirroring/AirDrop fails on primary macOS

Hi,

When AirDrop and iPhone Mirroring fail on your primary macOS account but work elsewhere, your local iCloud sync cache or Bluetooth daemon on the Mac is likely corrupted. 

Resolving this issue requires a progressive set of fixes, ranging from simple resets to flushing system caches:

1. Hard Reset the Bluetooth Daemon (Recommended)

Corruption in the macOS Bluetooth service is a primary culprit for continuity failures.

1. Open the Terminal app on your Mac.
2. Type the following command and press Enter: sudo pkill -HUP blued
3. Enter your Mac password when prompted (no characters will show on screen as you type).
4. Turn off Bluetooth on your iPhone, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on.

2. Check AirPlay Receiver & Handoff Settings

iPhone Mirroring relies heavily on the Mac receiving an AirPlay signal from your phone.

1. Go to Mac System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff.
2. Ensure AirPlay Receiver is toggled ON and set to Current User.
3. Go to iPhone Settings > General > AirPlay & Continuity and ensure Handoff is ON.

3. Revoke & Re-pair iPhone Mirroring

Corrupted authorization tokens between your iPhone and Mac can block mirroring.

1. Go to Mac System Settings > Desktop & Dock.
2. Scroll down to the iPhone section.
3. Click Revoke Access (or forget your specific iPhone).
4. Restart both devices, then open the iPhone Mirroring app on your Mac to set it up from scratch.

4. Re-sync iCloud on Both Devices

Continuity relies on a background service called Sharingd. If it hangs, neither AirDrop nor Mirroring will work.[1]

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Apps Using iCloud and toggle iCloud Driveoff and on.
2. On your Mac, go to System Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Drive and ensure syncing is active.

5. Advanced Fix: Delete Corrupted Sharingd Caches

If features only work on a new Mac user account, the user-specific plist cache for sharing is corrupted. [1]

1. Open Finder and press Command + Shift + G.
2. Type ~/Library/Preferences/ and look for com.apple.Sharing.plist and com.apple.Bluetooth.plist.
3. Drag these files to the Trash (do not delete them permanently yet).
4. Restart your Mac. macOS will automatically generate clean, uncorrupted preference files.

If these steps do not immediately restore your connections, check for, and temporarily disable, any third-party VPN or endpoint security firewalls (e.g., Little Snitch) on your Mac, as they are known to block local Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ports required for AirDrop.

For AirDrop to work, enable Everyone for 10 minutes under

Settings > General > AirDrop > Everyone for 10 mins > Tick

For Contacts only to work, add the newly created Account to your list of contacts.

Apricus wrote:

Another important detail is that Apple Support had me create a new user account on the same iMac, and iPhone Mirroring and AirDrop worked immediately in that account. The issue only occurs in my primary user profile.

This is interesting info.

iPhone mirroring will only work when the iPhone and Mac use the same Apple ID.

iPhone Mirroring can only be used with one Mac and one iPhone at a time. Your devices must meet these requirements:

• Your computer is a Mac with Apple silicon or Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip and is running macOS Sequoia 15 or later. Live Activities on Mac requires macOS Tahoe 26 or later.
• Your iPhone is using iOS 18 or later and is set up to use a passcode.
• Your iPhone and Mac are signed in to the same Apple Account using two-factor authentication.
• Your iPhone and Mac have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
• Your iPhone is locked and near your Mac. It can also be charging and using StandBy.
• Your Mac is not sharing its internet connection or using AirPlay or Sidecar.