Q: where are airdrop files saved?

They "swoosh" directly into the downloads folder.

This only works in ONE direction for me. From my MacBook Air to my iMac, "swoosh" appears in Download, but going other direction, I get the sound, but no file. Kinda frustrated trying to use this "cool" feature, but it's only cool if it actually works.

You might want to consider starting a new discussion. Since this one is marked solved, less people are likely to look at it. You can link to this one.

Perhaps Apple might like to consider the fact that if you're airdropping photos they should send them to the Photos app.

Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem solved sooner.

Feedback

Great idea!  Logical!

They land in Downloads.

This is a classic example of the bad industrial design that has plagued Apple since it became a phone and gadget company. There are several intuitive places AirDrop should place your files. First, it shouldn't decide for you at all. The receiving device, as a default setting, should immediately ask where you want to save your files. It can suggest based on type (document, photo, music...), but it should not leave you in the dark, as it does now. Second, if you have AirDrop in your sidebar all such acquired documents should land their, if nothing else as aliases. Putting them into "downloads" is absurdly laughable and shows total lack of design thinking. Sure, the programmers think of AirDrop as nothing more than a download "slave" switch, but this software is not for the programmers:

                                                                 IT IS FOR THE END USER.

This is very much along the same pathetic non-design as lack of feedback for processes (yes, I'm talking about you, Spotlight). These design blunders would have been rare with the Apple of the 1990s, when they ironically almost went belly up. Apple software is now devoid of design and it shows. Where this used to be one of the best companies for industrial design, it is now middle of the road at best and, as shown by miserable implementations like AirDrop, often the worst.

MHBrown

Sad but true. The first sign of mediocrity after Steve Jobs died was Apple advertising (Shot on the iPhone?). Next the hardware (Only one port on the new MacBook? AppleTV with no 4K? A square watch?). And finally the software. They seem lost.

Michael Brown12 wrote:

I think all you wrote is very true.

> First, it shouldn't decide for you at all.

10000% true.

I was here checking to see if they have finally added a way for the USER to set where the AirDrop file type goes. Nope.

> The receiving device, as a default setting, should immediately ask where you want to save your files

Yes! I would be happy with that...

...or even better would be to add AirDrop Settings that allow users to map where we want different file extensions to go by default. The AirDrop permission popup could easily be changed to have "default location xxx" and "change location" as the two choices if they want to keep the same slim notification popup UI template.

THIS IS EASY TO DO!!

It's not a difficult SW change and not an Apple User Experience "degradation".

(Yes, sigh...SW Engineer since 1983. Was a Director at Apple (Mac OS) for 4 years in the 90's before Steve Jobs came back. So I'm not saying "it's easy to do" without knowing it's true.)

... non-design as lack of feedback for processes (yes, I'm talking about you, Spotlight). These design blunders would have been rare with the Apple of the 1990s,...

It's interesting to think about, as Apple/Jobs, et al made a revolutionary change in the "general" user experience in many areas when designing the first ipods, iphones, etc, etc. That's true, but from the beginning, we all knew that Jobs would have his vision and he is "the decider" of how all users should use his products. Ugh, that is not right (folks, please don't bother flaming me for my opinions, no person or thing is perfect).

When I was at Apple, there was a big emphasis put on the nitty gritty of User Experience, not "just" the overall User Experience. With the User Experience lab, UE designers/testers, actual user testing, etc... All "widgets" exposed via the User Interfaces had to go through the UE department process and approval (obviously, many "small" UI items didn't go through that enough and it showed over time).

Clearly, Apple has great OVERALL/General User Experience design, so talented that they have changed multiple industries and the concept of how we do some things in our lives now.  BUT, that aside, I wonder about the next step down of actually *using* the UI to get things done. (UE and UI are *not* interchangeable phrases. It sure seems very different from back in the 90's when every aspect of the UI was important.

To turn a phase on its head - It seems Apple isn't looking at the trees, just the big forest and the land it sits on.

Still, gotta admit, we're a Mac household and there's no way I'd use Windows by my own choice again (yes, I'm ignoring the world of Unix and Android in this reply).

c-