Apple has released a new over-the-air update for eligible iPhones and iPads. The newly-dropped iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1 updates bring a much-awaited feature for AirDrop that was first teased back when iOS 17 was first announced.
Before this, the AirDrop feature had a range of about 30 feet or nine metres, requiring users to stay near each other while transferring files wirelessly. With this new feature, users can walk out of range after the transfer is initiated and instead of it being interrupted, the transfer will continue over the internet. While this is now available for both iPhones and iPads that are compatible with the new update, it is unknown if and when it will be coming to macOS Sonoma.
This is just one of several improvements to AirDrop introduced with this year’s iOS update. One of the most interesting features is tapping between two iPhones to initiate a file transfer. Moreover, there is NameDrop, where you can tap other iPhones to exchange contact information.
There are still a few other features that the tech giant teased as “coming later this year” but have yet to be rolled out. Some of the things that can be expected soon with upcoming updates include the Journal app and collaborative playlists on Apple Music.
