Learn how to change your AirDrop name on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, as well as what to do if your device doesn’t display the new AirDrop name.
AirDrop is a very useful and secure feature that allows instant sharing of files and data between Apple devices. It’s fast and requires a few steps to set up and, perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t degrade the quality of the media being sent.
Your device’s default name is iPhone or iPad, and it’s the same as your AirDrop name. Every time someone wants to send files to your device, they have to select your AirDrop name on their screen from a list of possible nearby devices. This can be a problem, especially when there are other Apple device users around you with the same default AirDrop name overriding yours.
So before trying to use AirDrop, it’s important to have an easily recognizable name. A unique name will make it easy to identify it among the plethora of other Apple IDs to choose from, which in turn can help prevent files being transferred to an unintended party.
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what you will need
To change your AirDrop name, you need to change the name of your Apple device. First, make sure your Apple device supports AirDrop. AirDrop is available on iPhones and iPads running iOS 7 or later, and is compatible with Macs and MacBooks released in 2012 or later running at least OS X Yosemite.
You should also make sure that you are using the latest version of the software. New versions of operating systems can sometimes cause compatibility issues.
To check for updates, open settings from your home screen and select General > Software update. If a newer version of the operating system is available, click download and install it.
How to Change Your AirDrop Name on an iPhone
Changing your AirDrop name on an iPhone is simple. From your home screen, select the Settings app and tap General > About. At the top of the screen, you will see the name of your device. play it
Delete the old name and write what you want. Then tap Done to rename your device.
Your device name, and thus your AirDrop name, should now be changed, and you can go back and close the Settings app.
How to Change Your AirDrop Name on an iPad
To change your AirDrop name on an iPad, open the Settings app and in the left panel, tap General. In the right panel, tap About and at the top of the screen you will see the name of your iPad. Click on it.
Delete the default name and type in your new desired name. Tap Done and your iPad will be renamed. Go back and close the Settings app.
How to change your AirDrop name on a Mac
The steps to set up or change your AirDrop name on Mac are just as quick and easy as they are on an iPhone or iPad. Click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen and select System Preference.
From system settings, click Share. Here you will see the name of your computer. Delete the old name and type your new name. Click the back button and your AirDrop name will change.
What to do if your device doesn’t show the new AirDrop name
In some cases, you may notice that the newly updated name does not appear even after following all the steps. In that case, try the steps again to make sure you did it correctly.
If the name is not up to date, check that your device is running the latest version of the AirDrop software. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Once you’ve updated the software, go through the steps again, but give the device a completely different name and see what happens.
If the name still doesn’t update, try turning your device off and then back on immediately after changing the name. Your phone will reboot and the new AirDrop name should update.
Now when other Apple users try to send something to your device, they will see the new AirDrop name you created. You can even add a profile picture that will be displayed along with your AirDrop name by tapping Add Photo.
Ready to start sharing?
AirDrop can be incredibly useful for sharing files between Apple devices. But that’s only if you can tell yours apart from the many Apple users who may share the same default AirDrop name around you.
Follow the steps above to change your AirDrop name to something unique to make sure all the files you want to transfer go to the correct device.
