"Oh that's cute. Text me that."
"Tag me on Facebook when you post that?"
"Will you put that on Instagram, or...?"
For all of the connectivity our iPhones give us, it seems that the one thing most people have a problem with is easily sharing pictures with each other. If we can't directly get it texted or emailed from the picture taker, we have to play digital detective, tracking the goods down on social media.
If only there was a way for iPhone users to beam selected pictures directly into the Photos library of another nearby iPhone user...
Oh wait! There is! It's called AirDrop and it's been around for years; but it's still one of the features I see least used out in the wild. It's a shame, because it's the perfect solution to quickly transferring pictures to nearby recipients securely and without having to trade personal information (helpful when you're at a holiday party and you might not know the person taking the pic). With AirDrop, you select your pics, find a nearby recipient in the Share list, and you're done. They accept the pics, you go back to taking photos. Rinse and repeat.
Here's how to use it.
To send a picture with AirDrop, go to the Photos app and select a picture to share. Any AirDrop recipients that are available will pop up directly underneath your pictures. Select the icon with their name and that's it. You're done! AirDrop is meant to share pictures with Apple devices that are immediately in the area, so the recipient just needs to accept your AirDrop share before you wander out of range (so you might want to let them know they'll need to Accept the share on their iPhone if they're not looking at it).
If you don't see them in the AirDrop list, they may not have the feature activated. Here's the 5-second method for enabling AirDrop:
Swipe up from the bottom on your Home screen to access the Control Center (my favorite quick access hack). Underneath the Brightness slider and to the right of the AirPlay Mirroring button, you'll see AirDrop. If you've never used it, it will be dark and say Receiving Off. Tap to enable it and select Everyone (or Contacts Only if you only want those in your Contacts to be able to see and send pictures to you). When the icon is blue, you're ready to AirDrop. Then just click Accept when AirDrop shares come in. If senders can't see you even after you've enabled it, make sure you're set to receive images from Everyone or just unlock your iPhone, sometimes that's all that's needed to make your icon appear in someone's AirDrop list.
Have fun this holiday season! Take lots of pictures and spread the cheer.
