One of the most fun things about owning a smartphone is the ability to be our own producer, photographer, and director whenever we get the urge. Because of this, we tend to end up with a ton of photos, videos, and audio tracks that we’re eager to share with our friends and family.
This begs the question: What’s the best way to share media with another person? Sure, you can always send a cloud link, but did you know that your iPhone contains an even more convenient feature that’s perfect for file swapping?
Get your photos ready, because we’re breaking down one of the best iPhone features you might not know about.
AirDrop makes it easy to instantly share photos, videos, and more!
As a part of the iPhone, Apple included a handy file sharing feature that’s baked right into iOS itself! AirDrop doesn’t require any additional software to run or operate because it’s built into the “share” option that you’d use to send photos, tracks, or websites via text message.
To access AirDrop to share a picture, for example, all you’ll need to do is tap the Square icon with an arrow pointing up that’s found in the bottom left corner when you’re browsing the image. You’ll also find this same icon at the bottom center of the window in Safari.
On the menu that pops out, you’ll see an option at the top for AirDrop itself. Normally, you’ll see the icon plus a brief description of how to use AirDrop, but all this means is that there’s nobody nearby with AirDrop enabled to accept your content.
If someone is nearby with AirDrop on, all you need to do is tap on their icon and the file will instantly send itself. You don’t even need to get their phone number at all (and the same goes if they’re sending something to you). (Note: both parties must be within roughly 30 feet of each other to use AirDrop.)
One thing to remember: If AirDrop is enabled on your device, anyone can share anything to it! This has led some internet trolls to act out in public if they see people with AirDrop enabled.
Luckily, you can change your AirDrop privacy settings by opening the Settings app and selecting General, then select AirDrop. On the page that appears, you can select whether you want to get files from contacts only, everyone, or receiving files from AirDrop off altogether.
With AirDrop enabled and active, now you’re ready to start sending and receiving files on the fly! Your friends and family will thank you when you’re sharing photos at the next big event.