airdrop on Mac doesn't see iPad/iPhone

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Level 1

8 points

airdrop on Mac doesn't see iPad/iPhone

My MacBook Air (OS 10.11.6) doesn't see my iPad or Iphone in AirDrop. I turned everything off and on and restarted all devices. Hotspot is off. Airdrop is on. All devices are signed into the same iCloud. All devices are on the same WiFi and have Bluetooth turned on.

I have no problem sending from my iPad/iPhone to my Mac.

When I try to use airdrop from my Mac I get this:

MacBook Air (11-inch Mid 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Nov 27, 2017 6:26 AM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

158,658 points

Nov 27, 2017 1:48 PM in response to TomsBSinBA

Let's double-check AirDrop's minimum requirements:

For all devices:

Bluetooth 4.0 & Wi-Fi enabled.
A Mac does not necessarily need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the other Mac or iOS device.
Bluetooth & Wi-Fi are automatically enabled when AirDrop is enabled or vice-versa.
iCloud is NOT required unless you only want to AirDrop with your Contacts, in which both parties must be signed in to iCloud.
For security, AirDrop encrypts content as it travels through the air.

To AirDrop files between an iOS device and a Mac (or vice versa):

To send to an iOS device: OS X Yosemite+
To receive from an IOS device: OS X Lion+
MacBook Pro (Late 2008) or later, excluding the MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2008)
MacBook Air (Late 2010) or later
MacBook (Late 2008) or later, excluding the white MacBook (Late 2008)
iMac (Early 2009) or later
Mac Mini (Mid 2010) or later
Mac Pro (Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2010)

If they all check out for your case, see if any of the following articles can help:

Pro tip: Troubleshooting AirDrop on iOS - TechRepublic
AirDrop not working? Here's the fix! - iMore
AirDrop not working? Try these troubleshooting tips - iDownloadBlog
AirDrop Not Working? Troubleshoot Your File Transfer Woes - MUO

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