AirDrop not workingSolved

Participant
Discussion
3 days ago Jun 04, 2026

Hey everyone,

I’m running into a strange issue with a few of our managed iOS devices. When someone tries to AirDrop photos to these devices, the receiving phone plays the AirDrop chime, but the prompt to accept or decline the transfer never appears. Has anyone seen this before?

Replies (3)

Marked SolutionPending Review
Participant
3 days ago Jun 04, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review

Did you check the iOS restrictions to make sure AirDrop is allowed?

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Participant
3 days ago Jun 04, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review

Yes, I verified that AirDrop is allowed and enabled on the devices.

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Hexnode Expert
3 days ago Jun 04, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review

Hi @raelynn,

The behavior you are describing, where the device detects the AirDrop request and plays the notification sound but doesn’t display the acceptance prompt, can sometimes be related to application restriction policies on managed devices.

One thing I would recommend checking is whether the affected devices have an application allowlist policy applied. On some iOS versions, the system process responsible for displaying the AirDrop prompt may be impacted by allowlist-based restrictions. As a test, try temporarily removing the allowlist policy and then attempt another AirDrop transfer.

You can also try the following:

  • Check the Notification Center or Lock Screen immediately after hearing the AirDrop chime, as the request may be appearing there instead of as a pop-up.
  • Change the AirDrop visibility setting to Everyone for 10 Minutes under Settings > General > AirDrop and test again.

If the prompt appears after removing the allowlist policy, that would help confirm the issue is related to the application restrictions. Let us know how it goes, and we will be happy to assist further.

Regards,
Sienna Carter
Hexnode UEM

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