AirDrop has been around for over a decade, offering Apple users a fast and easy way to share files between devices—when it works. You can use AirDrop to send everything from photos, documents, videos, audio files, web links, business cards, and notes between iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The feature uses a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to send your files between devices, and it's usually a fast, reliable alternative to texting or emailing—but it can be cumbersome in practice.

Here's how to set up AirDrop and start using it right away.

To use AirDrop on your iPhone or iPad, you'll first need to make sure that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on. Next, you'll want to open the Control Center, which you can reach by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen (if you have a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of your screen) and tap and hold the wireless square in the top-left.

Here you’ll see options for Airplane Mode, Cellular Data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, and Personal Hotspot. Tap the AirDrop icon, and you’ll see a menu appear with options for who can send you files. These options are Receiving Off, Contacts Only, and Everyone for 10 Minutes. (That last option used to be Everyone, but Apple changed that in iOS 16.2.)