williamsfam

Q: Air Drop between iMac and iphone5 not working?

I'm guessing I'm probably making some rookie mistake here - but I can't seem to get this to work?  I can see airdrop in the control menu on my iphone5 (I've updated to iOS7) and I can open airdrop on my imac (purchased 2012 - running most current version of Operating System).  However, neither device seems to recognize that the other is there?  It doesn't show I have anyone available to share with?

 

Thanks in advance!

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Sep 20, 2013 3:23 PM

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Q: Air Drop between iMac and iphone5 not working?

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  • by macron,

    macron macron Sep 21, 2013 3:51 PM in response to williamsfam
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 21, 2013 3:51 PM in response to williamsfam

    I have the same problem. The iMac with AirDrop active will not recognize the iPhone 5 and vice-versa. My iMac and MacBookAir can see each other, but neither can see the iPhone 5. I just installed the latest update to Version 10.8.5 on the MBA, but that didn't help. It is hard to believe that Apple would have made AirDrop on these two device families incompatable.

  • by paulomichels,

    paulomichels paulomichels Sep 21, 2013 4:09 PM in response to williamsfam
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 21, 2013 4:09 PM in response to williamsfam

    I have the same problem!

  • by aliquid12345,

    aliquid12345 aliquid12345 Sep 21, 2013 4:47 PM in response to williamsfam
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 21, 2013 4:47 PM in response to williamsfam

    I have the same problem with iMac (early 2009) and ipad mini, they do not see each other

  • by Mac_Master,

    Mac_Master Mac_Master Sep 21, 2013 8:42 PM in response to williamsfam
    Level 1 (50 points)
    Sep 21, 2013 8:42 PM in response to williamsfam

    Its not made to work with the desktops or with older iOS devices.

    See macrumors.com recent post on the subject.

  • by babowa,Solvedanswer

    babowa babowa Sep 21, 2013 8:58 PM in response to williamsfam
    Level 7 (32,347 points)
    iPad
    Sep 21, 2013 8:58 PM in response to williamsfam

    At this time, Airdrop is not supported from/to Mac OS > iOS. Only from iOS > iOS or Mac OS > Mac OS.

  • by BangerT,

    BangerT BangerT Sep 21, 2013 11:53 PM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 21, 2013 11:53 PM in response to babowa

    I simply can not believe this?.......

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Sep 22, 2013 8:10 AM in response to BangerT
    Level 7 (32,347 points)
    iPad
    Sep 22, 2013 8:10 AM in response to BangerT

    Send feedback to Apple:

     

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/

  • by Kyryll.S,

    Kyryll.S Kyryll.S Oct 2, 2013 11:03 AM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 2, 2013 11:03 AM in response to babowa

    Really?... Lame.

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Oct 2, 2013 11:17 AM in response to Kyryll.S
    Level 9 (51,402 points)
    Desktops
    Oct 2, 2013 11:17 AM in response to Kyryll.S

    Kyryll.S wrote:

     

    Really?... Lame.

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/

  • by Micah D.,

    Micah D. Micah D. Oct 16, 2013 10:26 AM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (28 points)
    Apple Music
    Oct 16, 2013 10:26 AM in response to babowa

    And just like that the one thing that would make airdrop useful to me instead makes it useless.

     

    It's inconceivable to me that I can't airdrop a picture from my iphone to my imac.  That's just stupid IMO.  In fact, there's no truly convenient way to get pictures from my iphone to my imac.  I have to manually move them via imagecapture.  Really Apple?  Two of your own devices on the same network and I can't simply move pictures from one to the other wirelessly?  Pretty lame.

  • by David M Brewer,

    David M Brewer David M Brewer Oct 16, 2013 10:49 AM in response to Micah D.
    Level 6 (9,429 points)
    Video
    Oct 16, 2013 10:49 AM in response to Micah D.

    The are apps for the iPhone to move photos and videos to the Mac over wifi. One easy way is to use  iPhoto on the Mac (install onto the Mac) via iCloud to send photos to the Mac. Once you take a photo on the iPhone it will be sent by way of iCloud to the Mac automatically.

  • by Micah D.,

    Micah D. Micah D. Oct 16, 2013 11:43 AM in response to David M Brewer
    Level 1 (28 points)
    Apple Music
    Oct 16, 2013 11:43 AM in response to David M Brewer

    Yeah, but do I have to download a 3rd party app to make my iphone and imac (both made by the same company and both running that companies software) be able to share a picture?

     

    And the iphoto/icloud connection continues to be a dysfunctional, highly confusing environment where I am never confident that it's doing what I want.  Furthermore, if I just want to put a picture from my iphone onto my desktop for future use first I have to upload it to icloud, then download it to iphoto, then move it from iphoto to my desktop then go back into iphoto and delete it from the iphoto library if I don't want it to live in iphoto forever?

     

    What a hassle.

     

    How about this... my imac and iphone are on the same network... when I take a picture with my iphone I should be able to simply drop it onto the desktop of my imac.  Couldn't be simpler.  Except that doesn't exist.  Lame.

  • by David M Brewer,

    David M Brewer David M Brewer Oct 16, 2013 12:38 PM in response to Micah D.
    Level 6 (9,429 points)
    Video
    Oct 16, 2013 12:38 PM in response to Micah D.

    I don't think you understand the iPhoto/iCloud concept. You take a photo on the iPhone and the photo is automatically sent to iCloud and then sent to iPhoto on the Mac. No uploading or downloading...

     

    I do this all time with my iPad. Mostly with screen captures from the iPad.

  • by Micah D.,

    Micah D. Micah D. Oct 16, 2013 12:47 PM in response to David M Brewer
    Level 1 (28 points)
    Apple Music
    Oct 16, 2013 12:47 PM in response to David M Brewer

    I definitely understand it, I've been using it.  But nothing about it is easy, you have to figure out how to make it so that you can send just the pictures you want to iphoto, which requires creating a special stream in iphoto, and even once you do that it doesn't always work... not to mention that there's no way to create a stream that will automatically add photos to your iphoto album, you still have to manually add them if you want them to be part of something like your apple TV screensaver.  It's convoluted, confusing and ultimately way too much hassle.

     

    Plus if I want to put a picture from my phone on the desktop of my imac I now have to open iphoto, move the picture from iphoto to my desktop, go back into iphoto and delete the picture if I don't want it hanging around in iphoto and then close iphoto. 

     

    Why?  Why not just have it so that I can take a picture on my iphone and when the iphone is connected to my local network simply drop the picture on the desktop of my imac?  One simple step.  No setup required, no opening of software required, no confusing icloud account to setup and hassle with, no confusing photostreams that don't always work... just move the picture from my phone to my computer's desktop, done.  I can do it from one imac to another over the network, why in the world can't I do it from my iphone to my imac?  Makes no sense that I have to jump through icloud/iphoto hoops or use image capture, an obscure program most users probably don't even know they have.

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