To turn on AirDrop on an iPhone, there are two main ways:
- Through the Control Center:
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen (on iPhone X or later) or swipe up from the bottom (on earlier models).
- Press and hold the network settings box (containing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth icons).
- Tap the AirDrop icon.
- Choose either "Contacts Only" or "Everyone for 10 Minutes" to turn AirDrop on.
- Through the Settings app:
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to General.
- Select AirDrop.
- Choose the desired option (Receiving Off, Contacts Only, or Everyone).
Choosing "Everyone for 10 Minutes" allows anyone nearby to send files for that duration, after which AirDrop will turn off automatically for safety. "Contacts Only" restricts AirDrop to people in your contacts. These steps apply to recent iPhone models such as iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 running iOS 16 or 17 and beyond.
