Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

con

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 18, 2012
39
1
My iPhone 7 and Macbook Air are paired and connected via Bluetooth but nothing appears in AirDrop on my iPhone. I'd occasionally like to use Bluetooth as an alternative to Cloud or USB/backup for transferring files including Notes. Thanks for any advice.
 

con

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 18, 2012
39
1
If I am not mistaken, you need WiFi turned on as well as Bluetooth on any devices you want to use AirDrop.
Yep, they're both connected to the same WiFi network and are both connected via Bluetooth.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
What year is the Mac? What version of MacOS is it using? What version of iOS is the iPhone using?

AirDrop is a proprietary transfer protocol that is similar to wifi direct. Bluetooth is only used to establish the wifi connection between the 2 devices. You do not need to be connected to the same wifi network nor do you need to be paired via bluetooth (nor would you want to be). You will also need to have the AirDrop set to Contacts Only OR Everyone on both the Mac and iPhone.

If you are positive everything is set correctly do a quick reset on the iPhone and do an SMC/NVRam reset on the Mac. Also power cycle the router. While your wifi isn't used directly it's possible it can be interfering with the connection due to a bonjour conflict.

Good luck.
 

now i see it

macrumors G4
Jan 2, 2002
10,644
22,226
I've never found AirDrop to be reliable. Sometimes it connects, often not. It always takes a long time to make a connection if it does at all

By far the best way to share Notes to all your devices in the Notes app is to link the Notes app to iCloud. I tried resisting Notes in iCloud for a long time, but once you get more than one  device - resistance is futile (or foolish). Just do it. If you've got private notes you feel paranoid about, encrypt them with a password.
 

Apple_Robert

Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
34,340
49,690
In the middle of several books.
Yep, they're both connected to the same WiFi network and are both connected via Bluetooth.
Did you try rebooting both devices and trying again? I used to have problems with AirDrop being hit and miss. It was very frustrating. And often times, I had to reboot once or more to get it going. And a couple of times, I went as far as to wipe and reinstall the OS, in order to get AirDrop to start working like it should. The latter hasn’t happened in several years.
 

con

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 18, 2012
39
1
Today the devices connected by bluetooth perfectly, allowing AirDrop for photo and note transfers. Not sure when or why it started working; I don't think it ever worked on previous attempts.
 

adamhenry

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2015
1,621
611
On the Beach
Today the devices connected by bluetooth perfectly, allowing AirDrop for photo and note transfers. Not sure when or why it started working; I don't think it ever worked on previous attempts.
Don't be surprised if it fails tomorrow.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.