How to Turn on AirDrop on an iPhone 7

As you attempt to send files to another person, or attempt to receive them from someone else, you might try text messages or email.

While these can work, there is another sharing option for iPhone owners that can be pretty useful.

Our tutorial below will show you how to turn on AirDrop for an iPhone 7 so that you can use that method to send and receive files like pictures or videos from your iPhone.

How to Enable the iPhone AirDrop Feature

  1. Open the Control Center.
  2. Long press the Wi-Fi button.
  3. Tap the AirDrop option.
  4. Choose the Everyone or Contacts Only option.

Our guide continues below with additional information about how to turn on AirDrop on an iPhone, including pictures of these steps.

You might already use text messages and email messages to share files with other people, but you can turn on a feature called “AirDrop” on your iPhone that provides another option.

AirDrop is a way to share files, like pictures and videos, with people over a Wi-Fi network.

Using AirDrop to share files can be more effective if you have a large video, or a high number of files, that you want to send to someone else.

AirDrop sharing is fast and easy, and turning it on requires only a few steps.

However, the way to turn on AirDrop on your iPhone is not something that is very intuitive if you haven’t done it before, so our steps below will walk you through the process.

Related: If your AirDrop name is not correct, then our guide on how to change your iPhone AirDrop name can help you fix it.

Turning On AirDrop on an iPhone (Guide with Pictures)

The steps in this guide were performed on an iPhone 7 Plus, in IOS 10.2, but will work for other iPhone models that are using the same version of iOS.

Enabling the AirDrop setting to Everyone on a large, public Wi-Fi network, such as a hotel or an airport, could make it easy for unwanted individuals to send you pictures or other files.

The safer option is to enable AirDrop for Contacts and, if you want to share files with someone that isn’t a contact, create a new contact for them.

Step 1: Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to open the Control Center.

how to use airdrop on an iPhone

Step 2: Tap the AirDrop button.

how to enable the airdrop feature

Step 3: Select the Everyone option if you want to allow everyone on the Wi-Fi network to send you files, or select the Contacts option if you only want to allow file sharing from people on your contact list.

how to turn on airdrop on an iPhone

Now that you know how to turn on AirDrop on your iPhone, you will be able to show up for other people when they are trying to send you things like pictures or videos.

You can turn off AirDrop by returning to this menu and selecting the Receiving Off option.

Note that AirDrop is only available on the iPhone 5 and newer models, the iPad Mini and newer, the iPad 4 and newer, and the iPod Touch 5 and newer. Any device that wants to use AirDrop will need iOS 7 or newer.

Are you trying to read something on your iPhone, like a recipe, and your screen is turning off too quickly? Find out how to keep the iPhone screen on for longer so that you don’t need to keep unlocking it.