iOS9 Airdrop to Mac not working

same for me.apple must fix this problem no oder solution,** i don't understand how for someone work?

I have a Mac Book pro retina 2015, an iPhone 5S and an iPad mini all updated to latest iOS but Airdrop is not working between the iPhone, iPad and the Mac!

I have tried many suggestion which have worked for others but not for me. Something very strange happens though. When I go to a friend's house and my Mac, iPhone and iPad are connected to his router, Airdrop works right away without any problem! After leaving from my friend Airdrop worked even without being connected to the same wifi network and my data turned off on my iphone.
At my house it never works.
I have tried 4 different routers. Even one provided by the telecom company like my friend has. Same router same firmware on the router, same telecom company like my friend but Airdrop is not working at my house. I even tried a router connected to the internet though 3G usb stick. Still, Airdrop didn't work.

As it has happened to others Airdrop is Always working between iPhone and iPad.

Has anyone tried to disconnect the telecom cable from the router so the router doesn't have internet access and see if Airdrop is still working?
In order for Airdrop to work does it connect with the iCloud or some security servers?
If someone with a working airdrop can do this test and post here would be helpful. Also if the router is turned off completely and the devices not connected to any wifi would airdrop still work?

Good evening , to fix this problem , the following settings must be done on various Apple devices.
1 / Disable Connection Sharing on iOS device (iPhone or iPad )
2 / On Macbook , go to System Preferences / Network / Advanced: delete the name (name used for sharing connection) of your device (iPhone or iPad) from the list of preferred networks.

3/ save and close.
4 / Reboot your Macbook and try to connect it to your iOs device via AirDrop . It's going to very well.

simoof32 By disabling connection sharing on the iPhone do you mean the hotpot or something else?

This worked for me - hope it lasts ! - deleted my iPad and iPhone as wifi on my mac exactly as you instructed and restarted my macbook, then went to my iPad and turned off bluetooth and turned it on again - Hotspot is turned off also.The first time I tried to airdrop from my mac it didn't work but about 15 minutes later it started to work on my iPad.

Can you confirm what you mean by "Disable Connection Sharing on iOS device (iPhone or iPad)" please simooff32?

I have tired putting my iPhone and iPad into aeroplane mode and following the rest of your instructions but it isn't working for me. My Mac (10.11.2) won't find any of my iOS devices (iOS 9.2), however my iOS devices will find and successfully AirDrop to each other.

So frustrating, especially as the v10.11.2 update specifically mentioned improving the reliability of Handoff and AirDrop!

Thank you!

No, it’s not in Airplane mode, in fact it's simple. to have a AirDrop connection between the Macbook and an iOS device (iPhone or iPad), you must (according to apple’s instructions) disable connection sharing in the device under iOS (iPhone or iPad, settings / connection sharing / off).

the problem is that even if you disable Connection Sharing on your iPhone or iPad, your MacBook is still remembered as the point of internet access, (((If you click the wireless symbol at the top right on your screen, after a while you will see the name of your iPhone or iPad::::::::::you already once before , used as a point of access to internet ::::::::::, and if you click on this name, you will connect to the internet even if you have disabled connection sharing on your iPhone or iPad))))))) and that is why we must do the following:

1 / on your MacBook, go to System Preferences / Network / Advanced (bottom right)

1 / you have all a list of networks to which you were logged in one day, among the network, there your iPhone or iPad (the name you gave to the access point from your iPhone or iPad).

3 / you select this name (click it to make it blue)

4 / delete the name of this list (click on the "-" symbol at the bottom left of the table.

5 / save (OK) and close.

6 / reboot your MacBook.

7 / on your iPhone or iPad, enable AirDrop and wait some minutes for the macbook detects.

Finally, it by chance you once again use your iPhone as Internet access point for your MacBook. you will not have to AirDrop connection. you need to redo this procedure 1 to 7.

I hope it works for you.

Excuse my bad English , and excuse google translation

Your description is very detailed. Thank you.
Unfortunately AirDrop still doesn't work for me. Maybe others are more lucky.

Apple should fix it though. It's been too long with this problem!
I think that the heart of the problem is in the iCloud or some security certificate.

it does make any sense.Not working for me to.How it works on other router on work,or by my girlfriend,it works evryelse oder foe now but at home no working.It must be problem with router,i thin it block some ports,we must know port for airdrop and manually add it i think.

Curious if you are trying to AirDrop files or a wider connection of devices and actions? I was having the same problem as everyone else but presumed the issue was with the level of access AirDrop had with each device.

Make sure you have both Wifi and Bluetooth turned on, on both the Macbook and iPhone.

On the MacBook:

1) On Main menu chose Go -> AirDrop

2) On the AirDrop screen, scroll to the bottom and choose the dropdown that states "Allow me to be discovered by:" Everyone.

On the iPhone:

1) Swipe up the bottom screen to open the Control Center and ensure AirDrop is on

2) Click on the AirDrop selection and make sure it states "AirDrop Everyone"

After following these steps I was able to transfer files between devices and use AirDrop on both.

Reference: Use AirDrop to send content from your Mac - Apple Support

As we are familiar with the way Air Drop operates normally from Yosemite OS it's more than certain that all people here follow all the right steps to use Air Drop.

I did a clean install of El Capitan on an external drive, Airdrop didn't work! I also did a clean install of Yosemite on an external drive.
In the case of Yosemite AIrDrop Worked!!!
I boot in Yosemite it works, I boot in El Capitan, it doesn't! not even after a clean install!

it's working perfectly for me
my version : OS X 10.11.2 El-Capitan

try to reset PRAM here : OS X Yosemite: Reset your computer’s PRAM 🙂

Airdrop is not currently working on my Mac when trying to connect to an iOS device.

Here's my experience: Airdrop was working fine around late Nov to early Dec of 2015, then it just stopped working when connecting to iOS device (at first, my parents' iPads). I tried some remedies by deleting the bluetooth plist. It worked again, but just momentarily then it went out again. Tried some on/off toggles in the firewall settings, but did not worked. I went to a nearby Apple store and tried if I can connect to their device; my Mac connected to the Apple store's Mac easily, but when I got home and tried again, it did not work on the iPads. After some time, I just turned our wi-fi router on and off, toggled the firewall settings on/off again, tick/untick the "block all incoming..." in the firewall settings, then my Mac suddenly recognized all of the iOS devices (my iPhone 5C and my parents' iPads) on Dec 25, 2015. It was working great, but then came Jan 2, 2016 when it stopped working again.

Today, Jan 3, 2016, I went to another Apple store and told my issue on Airdrop. The Mac of that Apple store recognized my Mac and mine to the store's, but did not recognize my iPhone. The Mac of the store os an old model, but still recognized my Mac and vice versa. The Apple store's service center was closed because it's Sunday so I'll be returning within the week for some clarifications.

Please note that both bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity works fine on my Mac; my iPhone can sync thru wi-fi, can connect via bluetooth hotspot, can connect via wi-fi hotspot, internet connectivity is good, bluetooth gamepad is recognized and working, transfer of data from different kind of phone thru bluetooth is possible, and older Mac models are recognized.

*Macbook Air 13", mid-2013, El Capitan 10.11.2

*iPhone 5C, iOS 9.2

*Airdrop set to be visible to 'Everyone' in both device

karimkallas, What is your iOS version?

My mac is on OSX El Capitan 10.11.2 and iPad on iOS 9.2.

Those are the latest available for me at the moment.

And AirDrop is not working, like everyone else who are on those same versions. Is there someone on those exact versions but have it working?

I already solved my Airdrop problem 🙂. You may reset the PRAM as others would suggest. But, this is what I did: reset the network settings of your iOS device. If your Mac would normally recognize other Macs, even the old models that are capable of Airdrop, but not iOS devices, reset network settings of your iOS device. Here's how:

1. Go to Settings>General.

2. Go to General>Reset.

3. Within the Reset section, choose Reset Network Settings.

4. Your iDevice will reset, but just quickly; showing the Apple logo and a loading bar.

5. Let it load then turn on Wi-Fi (you may connect to a Wi-Fi router by re-inputting the password since settings were reset to factory settings) and Bluetooth; set visibility to Everyone.

6. Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your Mac..

7. Go to Finder>Airdrop, or command+shift+R.

8. Wait until for your iOS device gets recognized.

*Airdrop can work as long as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are activated regardless if you're connected to the internet; Airdrop doesn't need internet connection