How to Get AirDrop to Appear When Both Devices Are Right There
iOS 18 and iOS 26; older versions noted where they differ · Last checked · Suggest an edit
https://instructions.wiki/iphone/get-airdrop-to-appear-when-devices-see-each-other
Two devices are sitting inches apart, and the AirDrop sheet on the sender shows nothing, or shows other people's devices but not the one you want. Distance is not what makes a device appear; the receiving device's AirDrop mode and whether the two Apple Accounts recognize each other through Contacts decide that. Changing the receiver's setting fixes almost every case.
Set the receiving device to Everyone
On the device that should receive, open Control Center, touch and hold the group of network controls (the block with Airplane Mode), tap AirDrop, and choose Everyone for 10 Minutes. The same option is in Settings, General, AirDrop. On a Mac, open a Finder window, click AirDrop in the sidebar, and set Allow me to be discovered by to Everyone at the bottom of the window.
Check the radios, not the connections
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be on for both devices; they do not need to be connected to a network. Turn off Personal Hotspot on the receiving iPhone in Settings, Personal Hotspot, because an active hotspot blocks AirDrop. Both devices need to be unlocked with the screen awake.
Check the firewall on a Mac
Open System Settings, Network, Firewall. If the firewall is on, click Options and make sure Block all incoming connections is off. Keep the Finder AirDrop window open while the sender looks for the Mac; it makes the Mac more reliably visible.
Add the sender to Contacts if you use Contacts Only
Contacts Only shows a device only when the sender's card in your Contacts includes the email address or phone number tied to their Apple Account. If you do not have that, switch to Everyone for 10 Minutes rather than guessing which address they use.
Bring the phones together instead
On iPhones running iOS 17 or later, hold the tops of the two phones together. NameDrop offers to share contact cards, and if a photo or link is open, sharing starts from there. This requires Settings, General, AirDrop, Bringing Devices Together to be on for both.
If the device still does not appear. Turn Airplane Mode on and off on both devices; it resets Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in one move. A Focus mode or Low Power Mode on the receiver can also keep it hidden, so turn those off during the transfer.
If the sheet shows the wrong name. AirDrop uses the device name from Settings, General, About, Name, so a device named "iPhone" looks like any other.