The amount of times I wish I could easily just AirDrop a file from my phone or MacBook to a Linux install is crazy. PLEASE let this be an industry standard.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Will Apple Kill Google's Surprise Android to iPhone AirDrop Interoperability?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I.. uh.. am not sure how to respond to this, other than that I don't think you quite understand what the word "elitist" means.
This particular thread is about certain users wanting a company to actively block interoperability between themselves and half of the other smartphone users in the world - making their own lives worse in the process - just so that they can retain some kind of artificial sense of "specialness".
This isn't even a recent phenomenon - I remember certain Mac users' reactions when Apple announced a PC version of the iPod for chrissakes. The stereotype of Apple users having a particularly strong level of.. ahem.. "brand loyalty".. has been well earned over the course of at least two decades.
As the saying goes, if the $150 designer sock fits, wear it.
My pleasure.
Guess I'll just have to continue to be a clueless "tach savvy" Android user then...
I think there is a standard for Bluetooth file transfers, it's crazy slow though. AirDrop is unique in, even if the two devices are not on the same wifi network, they will negotiate and create a temporary ad-hoc wifi network between them. I wonder if Google has replicated this part of the protocol? Or is it wifi only on the same network, bluetooth otherwise?
door has always been open to get an android.
people are just too lazy to step through it.
it's apple's tech. they can do whatever they want and should do whatever they want.
As a frequent user of AirDrop, I'm surprised they got this to work. AirDrop on Apple devices in any but the simplest of situations is prone to failure. (I have six iPhones all with different iCloud accounts.) Half the time I end up sending things via text instead of AirDrop. Apple should allow this and then make AirDrop an official standard that actually works all the time.
Anyone remember when Apple announced FaceTime, that they would make it an open standard?
Honestly though, the question is can they fix it without breaking backwards compatibility with older devices? How much of what AirDrop does is based on open standards and Apple has just strung them together in a unique way? If they change it, do they risk breaking how reliable/stable it is?
How much do they really care? There are apps and devices that have had AirPlay support outside of Apple's ecosystem and official licensing for years. Apple has never tried to shut that down that I know of. I can't think of a reason they would treat AirDrop any different.
Honestly though, the question is can they fix it without breaking backwards compatibility with older devices? How much of what AirDrop does is based on open standards and Apple has just strung them together in a unique way? If they change it, do they risk breaking how reliable/stable it is?
How much do they really care? There are apps and devices that have had AirPlay support outside of Apple's ecosystem and official licensing for years. Apple has never tried to shut that down that I know of. I can't think of a reason they would treat AirDrop any different.
This is a test.
If Apple blocks it, Google will sue and then the USA will begin their process to open up the iOS ecosystem just like the EU and other regions.
*it's a trap meme*
If Apple blocks it, Google will sue and then the USA will begin their process to open up the iOS ecosystem just like the EU and other regions.
*it's a trap meme*
Apple hates interoperability and user freedom.
Tomorrow we will an urgent “security” patch for IOS to kill it.
Tomorrow we will an urgent “security” patch for IOS to kill it.
Just wait till the infected files and security breaches start arriving from Android phones. This is just a disaster waiting to happen.
It is a result of the EU... Previously, Apple used a proprietary protocol called Apple Wireless Direct Link (AWDL) for this and other continuity features. The EU required Apple to use interoperable wireless standards starting with iOS 26, and deprecate AWDL. Without the EU requiring this change, this wouldn't have been possible by Google.
The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop
Google’s Pixel 10 works with AirDrop, and other phones should follow later.
arstechnica.com
So to answer the title of this article... No, I don't think Apple will try to stop it since they were required to use a standard that allows for interoperability.
The downside is it's hacked with no formal agreements, apple can change some aspect of the handshake and break it.
I've been working on a specific theory that anyone who thinks iPhones are exclusive or elite either aren't the most knowledgeable about wealth and what it means to be wealthy or they're out of touch and don't realize how accessible Apple products (or electronics in general) are even for people in poverty.
Every time I've seen someone complaining about iPhones or Macs on the topic of being elite it's someone who falls into those camps. So many people who assume the poor person with an iPhone must've bought the most expensive phone instead of getting food that I had to start ignoring them.
Either way, count me in on the people who want a easy built-in option for Android and iOS/Mac users to send files. Add it on Windows too, anything to make things easier when sending documents and pics between devices.
I have zero doubt that Google has figured out how IMessage could easily work with Google Messages as well, especially now a full year+ after the RCS interoperability.
Backed by the EU, and Apple using Google as its base for AI, Google has the upper hand now in negotiations for this sort of thing.
The AirDrop interoperability drop today is a tria balloon for bringing IMessage into the mix too.
Backed by the EU, and Apple using Google as its base for AI, Google has the upper hand now in negotiations for this sort of thing.
The AirDrop interoperability drop today is a tria balloon for bringing IMessage into the mix too.
I have a feeling someone at apple knew Google was about to announce this, otherwise its an insane coincidence.
If Google is exploiting a vulnerability, then that vulnerability should be patched.
If they aren't, then there's no reason for Apple to change anything and its all good.
If Apple unconsciously kills this, simply use Localsend: https://localsend.org/
*me shaking head about condemning this useful feature*
*me shaking head about condemning this useful feature*