Sometimes, after ten seconds of staring at a spinning beach ball, you want to throw your phone out the window. Don’t. Common culprit: Your Mac’s firewall is being a bouncer at an exclusive club. Go to System Settings > Network > Firewall (or Privacy & Security on newer Macs), and turn it off temporarily. Or better yet, look for “Block all incoming connections” and uncheck it. Your computer isn’t actually that cool—it can let a few photos in.
Another gremlin: both devices need to be signed into the same Apple ID. If you’re using your work Mac and your personal iPhone, AirDrop will act like a stubborn mule. You can still bully it by choosing “Everyone,” but sometimes the universe just wants you to suffer. Turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off and back on—the digital equivalent of “have you tried shaking it?”
Common MacBook AirDrop Issues Problems and Their Solutions
A Surprising Fact to Impress Your Friends
Did you know AirDrop can work up to 30 feet away? That’s the length of a school bus, or two very long arms belonging to an NBA player. Also, you can AirDrop files to yourself across different devices, which is the easiest way to transfer a spreadsheet without hugging your MacBook. It’s like having a personal courier who works for free and never complains about the weather.
