Handoff and AirDrop not working in El Capitan

Any idea on how to reach someone? This is obviously an issue that's been going on for a while and happens to many people, it's insane to me that there's no official solution for this yet.

So far, I've had this issue on 2 Macs with different causes.

Mac #1 - was running OS X server. Under OS X server settings, make sure default network access is on 'all networks' (or whatever private settings you know would work), or AirDrop stops working.

Mac #2 - restored from another Mac's time machine backup (apparently this has some unforeseen side effects). Under the Settings/Sharing section, change your Mac's computer name to something else. You can actually then change it back to what is was. Changing the Mac's computer name seems to fix something internally that causes AirDrop and Handoff to start working again.

Good luck!

I now went into the bluetooth settings on both my iphone and mac and tried to configurate the 2 devices but was told that the connection was unsuccessful. The network isn't available.

Even though I switched on bluetooth and the button on top is visible, the sidebar button in the settings is still red (the wifi button for example is green since wifi is connected and working).
So.. it's not really just airdrop that's not working but no bluetooth connection whatsoever.

I was having very similar problems. Tried deleting the bluetooth plist file, tried signing out/in to iCloud on both devices. Just updated my Macbook Pro to 10.11.3 and my iPhone 6 to 9.2.1 and I can now find my Macbook on my phone when using Airdrop!

This is finally working for me but still feels a bit wonky.

To get something from the macbook on my phone I just need to have bluetooth on both devices and go to airdrop on both.

If I want to get a picture on my phone over to my mac, I have to right click on the bluetooth icon and choose "Browse files on device"

That opens the bluetooth file exchange window. And then it starts searching for the phone. That when the mac user will show up on my phone and let me send the pictures I have selected. I don't need to select "send files to device" on the mac, I just select send and as long as bluetooth is open I get the file pop up on my phone.

AIRDROP PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!

Mac Book Pro (Retina mid 2015): El Captain OSx 10.11.3

iPhone 6 plus: iOS 9.2.1

My airdrop wasn't working at all before. And I tried a few suggestions posted around the web, I turned off the firewall, made both devices discoverable, played with bluetooth on both sides, nothing. Airdrop was not working whatsoever. Then I cam across MDaytona's suggestion above:

Just changed the name of your Mac Book to something else.

System preferences > Sharing

I changed both my computer's name, and I clicked on the edit button to change the name of the computer on the local network.

It worked!! but only after restarting the Mac!

MDaytona is right, for some reason updating the name of the mac triggers the airdrop connectivity to be updated/refreshed. I made a few quick tests and it seems to work without issues now, I don't even have to have airdrop open on both devices. It just works as you would expect.

In my case, the mac wasn't restored form time machine. Airdrop just never worked.

I can't believe Apple hasn't figured this out earlier.

I hope this helps all of you out there trying to sort this out!

P.S. My Bluetooth between the two devices is still not working, it wasn't working before this fix and it is not after. When I try to connect it says that "The device does not have the necessary services". Or if i try to connect my iphone to network it says "Network is unavailable. Make sure Network access is enabled."

So I would exclude Bluetooth playing any role in this fix.

NOT SOLVED !!!!!!

MIne started working again by sending something to my iPad instead of other way round

However, now airdrop is working, despite having deactivated all notifications sounds and banners, the airdrop always pops out a banner from the right of screen and makes a beeping sound to notify of file transfer - there is no airdrop in the notifications, and even if there was, i cant delete any of the app names in the notifications, unless i delete the app.

There is also a strange command line icon there which keeps reactivating itself called 'followupd' which looks totally ugly and is something to do with following up notifications form other apps i think.

Anyway, i dont want notifications popping and beeping in the middle of editing a serious documentary video every time i airdrop a file, and am gong crazy trying to find a way to deactivate notifications and sounds for airdrop, but there appears to be no way possible.

Left side of screen is a pain also as i use two displays and every time i mouse left out of screen with safari in fullscreen, this stupid 'autopeek' sidebar pops out instead of allowing my mouse cursor to leave to go to the other monitor..

El Capitan is only a Sergeant in my Opinion.

I recently changed the channel and channel width settings on my wifi router to autoand so far airdrop has worked each time I have used it. I can't say if it was this solely that has made the difference or a combination of adjusting the wifi settings and:

• resetting SVC and PRAM
• ensuring wifi and bluetooth enabled on OSX and IOS devices
• ensuring that block all incoming connections was not checked in security and privacy
• turning off / on IOS devices, mac and wifi router
• downloading latest IOS and OSX software
• resetting iPhone
• ensuring that allow me to be discovered by everyone was selected
• ensuring that IOS and OSX devices were compatible with airdrop
• logging out of iCloud and logging back in.

Why isn't Apple sorting this?

I run a photo processing lab and we used to rely on Airdrop to retrieve photos from clients phones, if they needed a special job doing. We've tried all the suggested tips to no avail.

Airdrop was a fantastic piece of kit and Apple appear to be doing nothing to sort it. If I'd got hair, I'd pull it out.

COME ON APPLE, GET YOUR FINGERS OUT!

The only thing that really helps (as far as Handoff is concerned) is to replace the cloudpaird file in /system/library/coreservices/ with the old one extracted from Yosemite.

You have to do this after every update though …

can u upload cloudpaird file and and share link for downolad? tnx

Great. I will give that a try,

There u go:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2241938/cloudpaird.zip

tnx man:-)