AirDrop: 10-minute visibility and the 30-day known list

Keep both people nearby with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, and disconnect Personal Hotspot. For a non-contact sender, the receiver opens Control Center → connectivity controls → AirDrop → Everyone for 10 Minutes.

From iOS 16.2, this setting changes after ten minutes: it returns to Contacts Only if signed in to an Apple Account, or Receiving Off if not signed in. The same temporary choice therefore has two different outcomes.

When selecting someone outside contacts, both devices on iOS 26.2 or later prompt for a code. The receiver selects Get AirDrop Code and tells the sender, who enters it on their own device.

Apple says the connected person is added to the Other Known List in contacts for 30 days. You can mark them as unknown in Contacts before then. Ending the ten-minute visibility period does not mean that list entry has been cleared.

For an existing contact, choose the person through Share → AirDrop and ask them to accept. Do not assume every AirDrop transfer always requires the new code flow.

For a one-time exchange, check the file and recipient first, then review visibility and the known-list entry separately. The receiver provides the code and the sender enters it; distinguishing these roles avoids repeating the same action on both devices.