AirDrop Not Receiving? Top 6 Ways to Fix [Updated]

Why Won't My iPhone Receive Airdrops?

AirDrop is the fastest, most user-friendly way to share files between Apple devices. It makes it easy to transfer contacts, links, photos, and more without sacrificing quality. While AirDrop is a valuable and convenient tool in the Apple ecosystem, some users have reported the “AirDrop not receiving” issue. Why does this issue happen? When attempting to dig out the reason why "Airdrop sent but not received", here are some common reasons:"

♦ Poor network connection. AirDrop requires a WiFi network and Bluetooth to build temporary communication. You will probably meet the “AirDrop not received” error when the network doesn't work in good condition.;
♦ Incompatibility. AirDrop only works on iOS 7 and later, macOS X Lion and later. If your iOS or macOS is lower than its requirements, then you cannot use it correctly.
♦ Incorrect settings. AirDrop settings, like Contacts Only, Personal Hotspot, etc., can influence its performance.

How to Fix AirDrop Not Receiving- 4 Simple Ways

When encountering the issue of “Airdrop not receiving files”, check the following simple and useful ways to troubleshoot Airdrop.

✍: Before that, make sure both the sender and the receiver have enabled AirDrop. Go to Settings > General > AirDrop > toggle Everyone.

Way 1. Check if your iPhone is running low storage

Some users may find they can send files through AirDrop to others, but cannot receive files from other devices. If you are one of them, please, firstly, see if there is still enough storage space for accepting new data.

Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > check the storage space.

You cannot add more items to your iPhone when it is running low storage.

To settle this, you could free up some space to solve the iPhone storage full problem.

Way 2. Disable Personal Hotspot

For those who keep wondering why won’t AirDrop work, perhaps they should check whether they have enabled the Personal Hotspot.

AirDrop needs both WiFi and Bluetooth to be enabled to build a connection between devices. Meanwhile, the Personal Hotspot has to be turned off.

Both the sender and the receiver need to follow these steps.

• Go to Settings > WLAN > connect to a stable network;
• Then head over to Bluetooth to switch it on;
• At last, go to Personal Hotspot > turn it off.

Way 3. Reset the network settings

Since the AirDrop relies on the WiFi network to work, most of the time, the reason why AirDrop doesn’t work has something to do with the network condition.

At this time, resetting the network settings is a good fix. Go to Settings > General > Transfer and Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

Don’t worry, it will never wipe your precious data, like photos, videos, messages, etc., but just refresh the network and its settings. After that, reconnect to the WiFi you were using and try again.

Way 4. Restart your iPhone

When any slight errors or failures occur, restarting will be a good idea. Though it may not be that helpful, it is worth trying. Follow the instructions here.

Hold the Assistive Touch (if you have enabled it) > Restart > Wait for the Apple logo to show up. Or,

Long press the On/Off button to power off > hold the button again until you see the Apple logo.

[Bonus] Alternative Ways to Fix AirDrop Not Receiving - 2 Ways

After trying the above ways, if you still meet “Airdrop says sent but not receive”, you can try an Airdrop alternative to move your iPhone files.

Way 5. Keep your iPhone up to date

Every year, Apple releases an update that fixes existing bugs and brings several improvements. airDrop may fail on devices with older software. Therefore, if you are not using the latest iOS software, you may experience “AirDrop not receiving” issues. Therefore, it is recommended to keep your iPhone up-to-date. It's worth noting that updating the software can also introduce some bugs. Plenty of users have complained about iOS update issues, like the iPhone screen not working, iPhone notes disappearing after updates, etc.

Thus, it is suggested that you back up your iPhone first to avoid any data loss, then update it. When it comes to iPhone data backup software, the best choice for users will be AOMEI FoneBackup. It is a backup & transfer tool that stores and protects user data firmly. Also, it allows users to back up data both fully and flexibly with its features “Photos Backup”, “Custom Backup”, “Full Backup”, etc.

So, if you still meet the issue of “Airdrop sending but not receiving”, please install AOMEI FoneBackup to start backing up your iPhone.

Notes:✎...

When asked “Trust This Computer?”, please tap “Trust” on your iPhone.

Step 1. Run AOMEI FoneBackup > connect iPhone to PC > Phone Backup > Full Backup.

Step 2. Choose Get Started.

Step 3. Choose a path you prefer to store the backup file > click Start Backup. Enable Backup Encryption to cover the private data.

Step 4. Then you could update the iOS software without any worries of data loss. Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Download and Install.

After that, check if the issue “AirDrop not received” has been solved yet.

Way 6. Turn to a free AirDrop alternative - AOMEI FoneBackup

AOMEI FoneBackup for iOS, a free & fast data transfer app for iOS devices, can transfer data from iPhone to iPhone without WiFi and cellular data. All users can selectively choose types of data to transfer to others, as well as send files to others in batch. Don’t hesitate to scan the QR code to install this useful app!

Notes:✎...

It supports iOS 10.1 and later, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Step 1. Run AOMEI FoneBackup  app on both devices > find your friends in Connect Device.

Step 2. Head over to File Transfer > select the files you need to send > click Send to transfer.

Thus you could send files to each other with your friends and won’t be bothered by the AirDrop not receiving issue.

Questions About AirDrop

In this article, all users can get a detailed guide to solve the issue of “AirDrop not receiving”. To get more info about AirDrop issues, check these questions and answers.

♦ Why does AirDrop on iPhone say waiting? It stuck on waiting.

Software glitches, update errors, incorrect settings, etc., multiple factors can influence AirDrop performance.

• Try to turn on the AirDrop restriction;
•  Check if you have set the wrong settings;
• Reset the network settings;
• Restart your iPhone, etc.

Get more solutions in the tutorial and see if the AirDrop stuck on waiting has been fixed.

♦ Why does AirDrop allow me to be discovered by not showing on Mac?

Mac users can run into failures like “Allow me to be discovered by” not showing when using AirDrop. In general, it has something to do with the network conditions, Bluetooth, macOS software, etc.

• You could try to restart the Mac;
• Use iCloud by logging in to an iCloud account on both the Mac and iPhone;
• Disable Do Not Disturb;
• Restart WiFi and Bluetooth, etc.

Refer to the AirDrop Allow me to be discovered by not showing troubleshooting tutorial to get help.