You are not able to use AirDrop on your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max and you do not know why. In this article, I explain how you can fix the problem when your iPhone 18 Pro is exhibiting AirDrop problems.
It appears that both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max may experience this problem. When you experience this problem, you may not be able to send or receive AirDrop files. More specifically, you may experience one or more of the following behaviors:
- Unable to send or receive a file from your iPhone 18 Pro using AirDrop.
- Unable to detect other devices.
- AirDrop transfers fail or are declined.
With AirDrop, you can wirelessly send photos, videos, documents, and more to a nearby iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Both devices need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. I use AirDrop frequently to share things quickly and it is a great feature when it works.
iPhone 18 Pro AirDrop problem fix
Please try these steps on your device:
1. Check your settings
If the other Apple devices nearby cannot AirDrop to you or if you cannot send files via AirDrop, the first thing to check is to make sure that your settings are correct:
- The first thing you should check is that your iPhone is discoverable. On your device, go to Settings > General > AirDrop and ensure that “Receiving Off” is not selected.
- Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn on Bluetooth.
- Make sure that Wi-Fi is enabled. If it is not, enable it by going to Settings > Wi-Fi.
- If you or the person you are AirDropping are hosting a Personal Hotspot, turn off Personal Hotspot. Go to Settings > Personal Hotspot and turn off Allow Others to Join.
- And make sure that you and the other person you are sending files to are within a certain range. Your devices must be within 30 feet (10 meters) of one another. You may want to bring the devices closer to each other.
2. Basic troubleshooting
After checking off your settings, if you are still having this problem, try these steps in this order. After trying each step, check to see if you can AirDrop files again.
- Go to Settings and turn on Airplane Mode. Wait at least 15 seconds, then turn it off.
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth, turn Bluetooth off, then turn it on again.
- Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, turn Wi-Fi off, then turn it on again.
- Restart your Wi-Fi router/modem. You can restart it by unplugging and then replugging the power cord.
- Restart your device. Go to Settings > General > Shut Down, drag the power-off slider, then wait 30 seconds. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
- Ensure that your iPhone has the latest version of iOS. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check this. If there is an update, tap Download and Install.
3. iCloud Contacts
If the recipient only accepts items from a contact, you must be in their contacts list and they need to have your Apple Account email address or phone number included in your contact card. To keep your contact information up to date across your devices, use iCloud:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
- Tap See All next to Saved to iCloud, then turn on Contacts, if it is turned off.
4. Reset your network settings
After trying all of the steps above, you may want to reset your network settings. Please note that this will erase all of your network settings such as your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN and APN settings. Here is how:
- On your device, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. And follow the onscreen instructions.
