This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Sharing with AirDrop
A quick way to get files from your iPad to another iOS device or Mac is using AirDrop. This technique uses Wi-Fi, but instead of going through a Wi-Fi network, it uses your iPad’s Wi-Fi hardware and goes directly from device to device. The devices don’t need to be on the same network—they don’t need to be on any Wi-Fi network at all. They just need to be nearby.
AirDrop requires the latest Wi-Fi hardware in your iPad, so it only works with the 4th generation iPad or newer, or an iPad mini. On a Mac, it requires a very recent model as well, running at least Mac OS X Yosemite. Using AirDrop is pretty straightforward.
Using AirDrop
To use AirDrop, follow these steps:
To use AirDrop, make sure you have turned it on. Do this by accessing Control Center. See “Using Notifications and Control Center” in Chapter 1. Make sure that it is set to Everyone. Another option is to set it to Contacts Only, which means you can only use AirDrop with devices that have Apple ID email addresses that are in your Contacts.
- Let’s use the Photos app as an example. You can use any app that can share items, such as the Notes app, Contacts app, and so on. Select a photo, and then tap the Share button. In Photos, the Share button is sometimes at the top, and sometimes at the bottom. It is always the same boxed arrow.
In addition to sharing options such as Message and Mail, you’ll see a list of other AirDrop-compatible devices that are within range. You see whatever image the user has chosen as a user icon, plus their name. If you do not see your other device, it could be asleep, or have AirDrop disabled, or possibly is not a model that has AirDrop available.
After you tap the icon, you see a “Waiting” message below it. In the meantime, the recipient receives an alert asking them to accept the transfer. You can accept the cute picture of the puppy, or decline it. If the sender is in your contacts, however, you just get the photo without needing to confirm it.
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>>>Go Further: Handoff
Handoff is a feature of iOS and Mac OS X that allows you to put down one device and pick up another to continue what you are doing. There are no settings for this; it just works as long as both devices are signed into the same iCloud account, and they are nearby.
Suppose you start composing an email on an iPhone. Then you decide that it would be easier to type the message on your iPad. All you need to do is look at the Lock screen of your iPad. You’ll see a little Mail app icon at the bottom left telling you that you can pick up your work on the iPad. Slide the icon up to unlock your iPad, instead of using the usual Slide to Unlock gesture. The result will be that the Mail app opens and your half-completed message appears, ready for you to finish. On your iPhone, the Mail app gracefully closes the composition screen.
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There are a lot of things that need to be just right for Handoff to work. Both devices need to not only use the same iCloud account, but also need to see each other using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi systems. A little radio interference is all it takes for this to not work one time, but work other times.