Photo Booth Fix: AirDrop not showing up

What guests and the attendant see

The attendant opens the share sheet on the booth device and the guest's phone is missing from the list of nearby devices. Sometimes it appears, the attendant taps it, and the status hangs on "Waiting" before failing.

The guest sees no prompt at all. If they carry an Android phone, AirDrop will never appear for them; offer QR, text or email right away.

60-second triage

1. Ask the guest to open Control Center, press and hold the group of connection icons in the top-left corner, tap AirDrop and choose Everyone for 10 Minutes. Older iOS versions just say "Everyone."
2. Ask them to keep the phone awake on the home screen while you send.
3. Bring them within a few feet of the booth device.
4. Send again. If their phone still does not appear after one retry, switch to the QR code.

That setting reverts to Contacts Only on its own after 10 minutes, which reassures anyone uneasy about it.

Likely causes, ranked

1. Guest AirDrop set to Contacts Only or Receiving Off. By far the most common case.
2. Guest screen locked or asleep. The phone needs to be awake to show up and accept.
3. Wi-Fi or Bluetooth off on either device. AirDrop needs both radios on, even though it does not need a network connection.
4. Personal Hotspot turned on. A phone busy sharing its cellular connection can get in the way of AirDrop, so ask the guest to switch it off while you send. The same goes for a booth device doubling as your hotspot.
5. Screen Time restrictions. Parental controls on a teen's phone can switch AirDrop off; the option will be missing or grayed out.
6. Distance and interference. A crowded room full of devices, or a guest standing 20 feet away at the props table.

The full fix, step by step

1. On the guest's iPhone: AirDrop to Everyone for 10 Minutes, from Control Center or Settings > General > AirDrop.
2. Check their radios: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on in Settings. They do not need to be joined to any network.
3. Ask them to turn off Personal Hotspot if it is on, in Settings > Personal Hotspot.
4. On the booth device: confirm Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on, and that it is not acting as a hotspot for other gear. Use a separate hotspot device.
5. Close and reopen the share sheet so it searches again, then tap the guest's phone as soon as it appears.
6. Ask the guest to tap Accept when the prompt shows; the transfer waits for them.
7. If AirDrop is missing from their settings, Screen Time is restricting it. Do not troubleshoot someone else's parental controls; switch to QR or text.

Prevent it next event

• Test AirDrop at setup to your own phone, as part of the four-method sharing test with QR, SMS and email.
• Keep Bluetooth on for every booth device, even if you never use Bluetooth accessories.
• Never run the hotspot from the booth device itself. Pack a dedicated hotspot.
• Add a small line to the sharing sign: "iPhone? Set AirDrop to Everyone for 10 Minutes."
• Coach the attendant script to offer AirDrop as one option among QR, text and email, so Android guests are never left out.

When to stop and switch methods

Give AirDrop one retry. If the guest's phone still does not appear, switch to the session QR, a text or an email immediately; a stalled AirDrop is the fastest way to stack up a line at the sharing station.

If AirDrop fails for several iPhones in a row, suspect the booth device. During a lull, restart it, confirm Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on, and test to your own phone. If it still fails, carry on with QR and queued shares, and swap to the backup device at the next quiet moment if you are counting on AirDrop for an offline night.