Nearly final versions of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 are now available to developers. This means that very soon we will have these new versions among us that will allow us to use all its functionalities such as the Freeform app, the new widgets or the optimization of Live Activities, especially on the iPhone 14 Pro. Apple has also introduced new features in the Release Candidates. One of them is the limitation of the use of AirDrop technology with the elimination of the option to be available to “All” users. This option is replaced by “Everyone for 10 minutes”, as Apple introduced in iOS 16.1.1 in China and promised to do in early 2023.
Apple seeks to protect user privacy by limiting AirDrop in iOS 16.2
AirDrop has changed forever. In fact, it started to change a few weeks ago with the release of iOS 16.1.1 in China. Apple was notified that the Chinese population was using AirDrop to share content against Xi Jinping, the President of the Republic of China, and the Chinese government. It is believed that these dynamics led to the government’s own request to Apple to modify the technology to avoid this type of action against the regime.
Changes to AirDrop came in iOS 16.1.1 and also made it to iOS 16.2 beta 2. Finally, the AirDrop redesign will arrive in iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2. Although Apple announced that this change would arrive globally at the beginning of 2023, it seems that times have gone ahead and we will see it with the launch of these updates that will be throughout the month of December.
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This modification leaves only three options to select within the AirDrop menu:
- Reception disabled: we cannot send or receive items
- Only contacts: we can only receive items from our contacts
- Everyone for 10 minutes: everyone can send us items for 10 minutes
If we have selected “Everyone for 10 minutes”, When those 10 minutes pass, the option will automatically change to “Only contacts”. This modification, as we have said, will come to iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 throughout the month of December.
Remember that before this last option appeared, we had the option of “All” to dry. This option allowed be constantly activated to receive any type of element from any user. This, in the end, was a privacy breach since the user could receive unwanted photos or files although he could decline them through the interface, but it was uncomfortable.