AirDrop iPhone to MacBook Pro not working

Question

AirDrop iPhone to MacBook Pro not working

Hello,

I have never been able to transfer flies from my iPhone 6s (iOS 9.3.1) to my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015, OSX 10.11.4). I have followed all available instructions and verified that bluetooth and wifi is turned on etc.

The bluetooth itself is working because I can connect to audio devices successfully. The wifi is also working because I can connect to the internet.

Airdrop from my iPhone to other iPhones it works sometimes, but not always.

I'm I the only one having this problem? Is there any way to solve it? Thanks very much!

Posted on May 22, 2016 11:09 PM

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Answer 1

AppleJoe

Community Manager

May 24, 2016 8:25 AM in response to Andreas Andersson

Greetings Andreas Andersson,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities!

I understand that you iOS devices are having an issue using AirDrop to move data to your Mac. It sounds like you are already familiar with the process, but I would first suggest reading over the following article to ensure AirDrop is set up correctly.

How to use AirDrop with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Best!

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Answer 2

May 25, 2016 6:15 AM in response to AppleJoe

Hello Joe,

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately it does not help me, I have followed the instructions in detail but it does not work.

I tried again between my two iPhones and AirDrop works in both directions. None of the phones can send to or from the computer (the devices does not show up at all).

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Answer 3

AppleJoe

Community Manager

May 25, 2016 6:30 AM in response to Andreas Andersson

Thank you for replying with this information. Because the previous article did not help you to resolve the AirDrop issues between your iOS devices and your Mac, I suggest contacting AppleCare directly.

Contacting Apple Support will allow us to dig into this specific situation you are experiencing and provide you the best support possible.

Contact - Official Apple Support

Best!

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Answer 4

May 31, 2016 10:21 AM in response to AppleJoe

Same problem here, unable to AirDrop from brand new Macbook Pro or brand new Macbook 12 to iPhone 6s Plus. All have the latest OS versions. All setup to AirDrop: Everyone. No firewall setup. Wifi and Bluetooth turned on. This is a critical feature in Apple products and doesn't work, very frustrating.

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Answer 5

Jun 1, 2016 7:24 PM in response to wheresaldo

Yeah it's very annoying! I chatted for a long time with Apple's support and checked everything, such as: created a new user on the computer, started in failsafe mode etc etc. But nothing worked. Finally I was asked to reinstall the whole OS but I don't want to do that... so I still have the same problem 😟

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Answer 6

freesf

Level 1

35 points

Jun 1, 2016 8:46 PM in response to Andreas Andersson

Hi... I went through the same process than you. The problem was with my iCloud account. To test it, just create a new user in your Mac and see if you can see your iOS devices in Mac AirDrop signed in with the new account.

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Answer 7

Jun 3, 2016 3:07 AM in response to freesf

Hello,

Thanks for your reply! This is something that Apple's support also instructed me to do, but unfortunately it didn't help.

Regards,

Andreas

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Answer 8

Jun 4, 2016 1:27 AM in response to freesf

Hello again,

I found a way to make it work:. If my computer and iPhone is NOT connected to a WiFi, then AirDrop works. So WiFi must be turned on on both devices, but not connected to any WiFi.

This is crazy but it works every time. And when connecting to a WiFi again it stops working.

This is obviously a bug. Nowhere does it say that you can not be connected to a WiFi in order to use AirDrop. I hope Apple will fix this because it is very annoying.

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Answer 9

Jun 5, 2016 12:38 PM in response to AppleJoe

@joe_7399

What makes you think that was a helpful answer? I think you should probably assume that users coming to forums like this are having PROBLEMS with their hardware and software, NOT because they don't know what they're doing. Honestly, it's answers like yours that make it take longer to find solutions because I have to wade through them to find actual technically helpful information or other users' experiences.

Please don't take this personally, since there are thousands (millions?) of other nice good-intentioned but misinformed people out there doing the same thing. I am trying to figure out why my Airdrop doesn't work on my US$900 phone after doing everything properly and in the right order, etc... My knowledge isn't the problem here, and I would bet that it isn't for the majority of the folks using the Apple discussions.

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Answer 10

Jun 5, 2016 12:42 PM in response to Andreas Andersson

@Andreas

I'm curious how you can manage to have wifi on but not connected to anything. I would have to delete my saved network SSIDs and passwords in order to not connect to them automatically, unless you have a way to do this that I am unaware of.

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Answer 11

Jun 5, 2016 6:21 PM in response to David Lewis15

Hello David,

I actually just turned off my router, and since there are no other known networks within range it worked for me. But I agree it's super inconvenient.

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Answer 12

applpal

Level 1

19 points

Aug 21, 2016 5:19 PM in response to Andreas Andersson

I have same problem too with similar devices with updated O/S of current period. iOS 9.3.2 and El Capitan 10.11.6

It works from other direction i.e. from macbook to iPhone.

But always fails to show macbook in iPhone whenever try to transfer ( Airdrop) from phone to laptop.

Both devices signed into iCloud. No hotspot On. Both in same wifi with bluetooth: On. Airdrop: Everyone.

Since its always time waste over support ( as understood from many responses & my pre experiences ) on non visible critical supports, i dont want to be in same loop. Though there are other issues in camera, iBook, iCloud PDFs etc to be solved, not relevant to this topic may be.

If anybody has any solution on this Airdrop transfer from iPhone to macbook, please guide us. Thanks very much in advance.

If I connect a USB from iPhone to Macbook, all images goes to Photos app and then its another pain. I can't fig out the path to take some of those to share or for other usage.

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