iOS 26.2 is officially available and has many new features, including a function that makes AirDrop more secure – we explain how it works.
This feature makes AirDrop even more secure
AirDrop has long been a popular iPhone feature, making it easy to share photos, files, and more with friends and family. iOS 26.2 now includes a new feature that makes AirDrop even more secure: ‘codes’. AirDrop codes provide an extra layer of verification when using AirDrop with unknown contacts. This is possible by displaying a code on the recipient’s device that the sender must enter to complete the transfer.
Until now, you always had three options when configuring AirDrop:
- Received from
- Contacts only
- Everyone for 10 minutes
But AirDrop Codes in iOS 26.2 actually offers a fourth option that’s also more secure. If you want to use AirDrop with someone who isn’t in your contacts list, you can now temporarily “authorize” each other with a new one-time code. After the AirDrop sender enters that code, the sender and recipient can AirDrop each other for 30 days.
You can manage this list of AirDrop contacts via ‘Settings > General > AirDrop’. You will automatically appear for 30 days with people you have shared a one-time code with.
You may wonder how often you want to use AirDrop with someone multiple times without adding them to your contacts. Apple seems to think this happens often. But perhaps the biggest advantage of AirDrop codes is that they are easier and faster to use than the other existing options.
‘Everyone for 10 minutes’ significantly relaxes security, and ‘Contacts Only’ is cumbersome because creating a contact person takes a relatively long time. But using an AirDrop code is fast, simple and more secure, and is good for authorization for up to 30 days.
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