A WhatsApp AirDrop style feature is under development, and from screens discovered inside the latest Android beta, it looks like a rather close copy of the original.
This includes privacy features: As with AirDrop, file transfers are encrypted, and your phone number is not revealed …
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The security vulnerability which seemingly led to an AirDrop crack by a Chinese state institute has been known to Apple since at least 2019, according to a new report.
Some new details are also emerging about how China is able to obtain the phone numbers and email addresses of people transferring files via AirDrop …
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In a significant breach of Apple’s privacy measures, a new report says that AirDrop was cracked by the Chinese government, to reveal the phone number and email address of senders.
The anonymity of AirDrop was one of the reasons it has been commonly used by activists to share information about protests, and other information censored by the government …
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Update: Whether AirDrop is vulnerable to this exploit is unclear, but the odds are against it. See the update at the end.
Two newly-discovered Bluetooth security flaws allow attackers to hijack the connections of all devices using Bluetooth 4.2 to 5.4 inclusive – that is, all devices between late 2014 and now.
Six separate exploits have been demonstrated, allowing both device impersonations and man-in-the-middle attacks …
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Apple recently changed how AirDrop works between iPhones, but not everyone has updated to the latest software clearly. Just last week, a student traveling in Texas had the bright idea to play a bomb prank on a plane using AirDrop just before takeoff.
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After first making a change to AirDrop for users in China, Apple has changed the available options for all users with iOS 16.2. With “Everyone” not being a permanent option anymore, you may end up heading to AirDrop settings more frequently. Here are 3 ways to change AirDrop on iPhone.
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The iOS 16.2 Release Candidate is now available to developers, and it includes a number of different changes and upgrades. The update also expands a change to AirDrop that was previously limited to China: restricting how the “Everyone” option works with a new limitation.
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Apple today released iOS 16.1.1 for all users. While the release notes for the update say nothing about new features or major changes, there’s a significant one coming for users in China. There, Apple is changing how the “Everyone” option in AirDrop works, which will no longer be enabled for more than 10 minutes.
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Even before the jury reaches a verdict, a Rittenhouse mistrial motion has been filed by the defendant’s attorneys, with Apple tech again at the heart of a dispute regarding video evidence. It follows an earlier argument about the iPad pinch-to-zoom feature.
The latest issue is being widely reported as relating to AirDrop, but in fact Apple’s Mail app is the source of the problem …
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An AirDrop flaw means that doing nothing more than opening an iOS or macOS sharing pane within Wi-Fi range of a stranger can enable them to see your phone number and email address. You do not have to initiate an AirDrop transfer to be at risk.
The security researchers who discovered the vulnerability say that they disclosed it to Apple way back in May 2019, but the company still hasn’t provided a fix to the 1.5 billion affected devices …
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An AirDrop security flaw can allow anyone with a laptop and scanning software to see your phone number. The same is true when you share a Wi-Fi password from your iPhone.
Doing the same from a Mac reveals its permanent MAC address instead…
An AirDrop mistake resulted in a big mix-up this weekend as a flight bound for Hawaii was grounded for 90 minutes.
DeskConnect is a file transfer app from the makers of Workflow. It allows you to easily share files between your iPhone, iPad and Mac. DeskConnect isn’t an app that will replace a service like Dropbox or even iCloud, because it was designed solely with file transfers in mind.
We reviewed the initial version of DeskConnect back in 2013. Since then, a lot has changed — iOS has gained inter-app communication via handy share extensions, iCloud Drive has made it easier to move and manipulate files across a variety of storage solutions, and AirDrop can now easily transfer files between iOS devices and Macs.
In 2016, where does a new version of DeskConnect fit in? Does AirDrop make it redundant? Have a look at our overview for the details.
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In a new patent application, Apple details an idea it’s experimenting with that would have Apple Watch users shake hands to exchange data (via PatentlyApple). The idea is simple. The patent application imagines two Apple Watch wearers exchanging data, such as contact information, for example, by performing common gestures like a handshake or a hug:
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With Yosemite and iOS 8 you can use AirDrop to share files between your Mac and iOS devices. This is one of the features of Continuity, which further integrates and connects your Mac and iOS devices. Continuity also includes Handoff, Instant Hotspot, iPhone Cellular Calls and SMS Relay.
Initially AirDrop allowed you to share files between two Macs or between two iOS devices. Now, AirDrop allows you to share files and information between Mac and iOS devices. It is a device-to-device transfer that works even when the devices don’t have internet access, although Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have to be turned on. This includes sharing photos, videos, music, iWork documents, notes, contacts, links, directions and location data. Many third-party iOS apps like Dropbox, Runkeeper, eBay, Deliveries, and PDF Expert support AirDrop. Apple just added support to Logic to share files via AirDrop. When receiving a file, the recipient receives a notification, allowing them to download the file.
Apple today released a new version of Logic Pro X, its professional audio editing software, bringing the current version to 10.1 and adding a long list of new features. Among the new additions to Logic Pro X in version 10.1 includes 10 new Drummers, the intelligent beat profile feature, focused on hip hop and electronic styles. OS X Yosemite users will appreciate the ability to share projects from Logic Pro X to other users using both Mail Drop, which lets you send large files over email using iCloud storage, and AirDrop, which lets you share files wirelessly between nearby Macs.
In addition to updating Logic Pro X, Apple released version 1.2 of its Logic Remote iPad app with a new plug-in view for remotely controlling parameters and adding or rearranging plug-ins. The new version also allows you to adjust mic and input settings with compatible audio interfaces from the app. Apple’s MainStage 3 Mac app ($29.99) updated to version 3.1 as well. You can read our full review of Logic Pro X here, and see the full change log of new features below:
Apple has invited a number of non-developer users to participate in what it’s calling an “AirDrop Test Fest” to help fix bugs in the over-the-air file sharing system, according to users who have gotten the invite. Users who have been invited will find a notice inside the Feedback Assistant application included with the public beta of the upcoming OS X Yosemite.
Users who have been invited to participate are provided with a set of guidelines for testing the feature. According to the notice, users will need two Macs capable of running Yosemite and AirDrop, or one Mac running Yosemite and one running Mavericks to test the “legacy” feature. An iOS device isn’t required to participate, indicating that the focus will be on Mac-to-Mac transfers rather than cross-platform ones.
Apple’s next iOS 8 update following the public release of the operating system earlier this month will reportedly bring various fixes for phone and keyboard related bugs, problems with video in Safari and more. MacRumors claims to have details on the upcoming iOS 8.0.1 release from a source. In addition to fixing bugs with the phone, keyboard, and Safari, the fix will reportedly also include a fix for AirDrop support with Passbook and a problem with installing VPN profiles.
Here’s the full list of changes according to the report:
– Phone: Addresses bugs with call forwarding and freezing when accessing visual voicemail
– Keyboard: Fixes an issue with keypad not appearing to enter iCloud Keychain verification codes
– Safari: Fixes a problem with videos occasionally not playing
– Sharing: Fixes AirDrop support for Passbook passes
– VPN: Addresses an issue with installing VPN profiles
Apple released iOS 8 to the public earlier this month on September 17th two days ahead of its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models going on sale in initial launch countries. Adoption of the new operating system is lagging behind last year’s iOS 7 release, while Apple for the first time used its own CDN to deliver the update this year. A release date for the next iOS 8 update has not yet been confirmed, but Apple has said they are working on a fix for the HealthKit bug that delayed the feature expected later this month.
Alongside the second beta of iOS 8, Apple has provided an update to the OS X Yosemite Developer Preview. Yosemite brings many new features to the Mac, including a new design, Continuity features, and enhanced applications. We’ll update this post with new discoveries in the new preview as they are found. You can let us know what you find at tips@9to5mac.com.
iOS 8 adds several important enhancements to the iPhone and iPad, such as improved notifications, health-tracking, and a more advanced camera application, but the new operating system’s most significant feature may be the groundwork technologies for a future Apple wearable device that integrates deeply with the iPhone.
No matter if it is called the “iWatch,” “iBand,” “iPod,” or something else entirely, a wrist-worn Apple wearable device will likely be announced in October, and the software it will run will set the scope of its capabilities. Besides the new functionality for the iPhone and iPad, iOS 8 includes many new wireless protocols, applications, and features that open the door to several capabilities for a wearable device.
Let’s take a look at how each major iOS 8 feature plays directly into Apple’s ambitions for a wearable computer, below.
In iOS 7, Apple introduced nearby networking features called Multipeer Connectivity to allow iOS devices in proximity to talk to one another over WiFi or Bluetooth even without a traditional Internet connection. Developers have used the tech for everything from exchanging files and other data between devices, to remote control functionality, and multi-device experiences like the iTranslate Voice app that sends real-time speech translated from one device to the other. It’s also the tech behind the local anonymous messaging service FireChat that got some attention earlier this year. Now, Apple is opening up the Multipeer Connectivity APIs to OS X starting with Yosemite and in the process allowing cross-platform nearby networking between Macs and iOS devices.
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iOS 8 uses peer-to-peer technology to stream video to Apple TV, as described by Apple on a page highlighting enterprise features.
Today, AirPlay requires both devices connect to the same WiFi network before they can communicate.
Apple wants users to be able to smoothly move between their Macs and iOS devices. AirDrop now interoperates between Mac and iOS devices. However, it goes further. Handoff allows you to send a document from your Mac to your iOS device, just by being in close proximity to each other.
The Mac also notices when an iOS device is nearby for Personal Hotspot. The phone appears in the WiFi menu, shown above, and with one-click the phone connects to the Mac and the devices start tethering.
While Apple only officially announced its 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last week, we have been reporting all of the known information about what Apple plans to unveil at the event over the course of the past few months. Now that WWDC is official, we have compiled a roundup of everything we know about Apple’s next-generation iOS device and Mac operating systems below, and we’ve also included some new tidbits not found in our earlier reporting. You can find out what there is to know so far about iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 below:
