How to fix AirDrop that is not working on your Apple iPad Pro 2018, cannot share files via AirDrop [Troubleshooting Guide]

Today’s smartphones and tablets are already equipped with more advanced wireless file sharing capabilities. Aside from the typical Bluetooth, Apple devices can also use other means to share videos and photos to other Apple devices wirelessly and one of these is through AirDrop. AirDrop is an iOS feature that works like and uses Bluetooth technology to create peer-to-peer wireless network and share anything between Apple devices from a playlist to a location pinned in the maps app. You can also use AirDrop to share you contact information and even passwords to other someone. For AirDrop to work, it has to be enabled or activated on your device.

The devices also need to be close enough to establish a good Wi-Fi connection. Because AirDrop uses Wi-Fi to make the connection, it’s ideal for sharing large files as it’s faster than both Bluetooth and NFC. In case you will have trouble using AirDrop or unable to transfer files from your iPad Pro to other Apple devices through AirDrop, I’ve lined up some helpful methods for you to try on. Read on to learn what to do if AirDrop doesn’t work on your new iPad Pro.

Before anything else, if you have other issues with your device, try to browse through our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed several issues with this device. Odds are that we’ve already published a post that tackles similar problems. Try finding issues that have similar symptoms with what you currently have and feel free to use the solutions we’ve suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, then fill up our questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

Troubleshooting iPad Pro 2018 with AirDrop that’s not working

Before troubleshooting, check and ensure that AirDrop is enabled on your iPad Pro. The quickest way to check is through the control center. To access the Control Center on your iPad Pro, unlock it the swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Doing so will launch the Control Center, containing various shortcut icons and controls. Then follow these steps to enable AirDrop through the Control Center, if necessary.

Touch and hold the Airplane Mode, Cellular Data, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to view the AirDrop icon.
Tap on the AirDrop icon to enable/activate the feature then select any from the following AirDrop options.
- If you don’t want to receive any AirDrop requests, select Receiving Off.
- If you want only your contacts to see and send files to your iPad Pro, select Contacts Only.
- If you want all nearby Apple devices can view and send files to your iPad Pro via AirDrop, select Everyone.

You can also turn AirDrop on or off through your iPad settings. Here’s how:

Tap Settings from the Home screen.
Select General.
Tap AirDrop.
Select any from the AirDrop options mentioned earlier.

Once AirDrop is activated and the correct AirDrop option is selected, you should be all set to share or transfer files to other Apple devices via AirDrop. Test to see if it works. If it doesn’t, then you may proceed with these subsequent troubleshooting procedures.

First solution: Reboot your iPad Pro (soft reset).

Minor firmware errors are usually the main reason why certain apps or iOS features suddenly fail to work. To rule this out, soft reset or reboot your iPad Pro with these steps:

Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Up button on the side of your iPad for a few seconds or until the Power Off slider appears.
Drag the slider to turn off the iPad.
After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button on the top of your iPad for a few seconds.
If prompted, enter the PIN code and select OK to proceed and access the Home screen.

Performing a soft reset also clears junk files (caches) from your iPad’s internal memory including temporary data that have been corrupted. As overall outcome, system functions are refreshed.

Second solution: Toggle Airplane mode on and then off again.

Aside from random software glitches, network-related errors can also cause conflict. To fix random network problems particularly those affecting wireless radios, performing the old Airplane mode trick can be considered an option. This is how it’s done on your iPad Pro:

From the Home screen, tap Settings.
Select Airplane Mode then toggle the switch to enable Airplane Mode on your iPad Pro. All wireless radios on your iPad Pro are automatically disabled.
While Airplane Mode is enabled, restart/soft reset your iPad Pro.
After it restarts, head back to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
Then toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode OFF again. Doing so re-enables wireless functions of your iPad Pro including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Wait until your device reconnects to Wi-Fi then retry using AirDrop to see if it’s already working.

Third solution: Log out and back into your iCloud account.

Some people who have had trouble using AirDrop were able to find remedy by logging out and back into their respective iCloud account. This is likely effective if account-related errors are the underlying cause. If you wish to give it a try, then follow these steps to sign out and back into your iPad Pro iCloud account:

Tap Settings from the Home screen.
Tap on [Your Name].
Scroll down and tap Sign Out.
If prompted, enter your Apple ID password then tap the option to Turn Off. You can turn on the data the you want to copy on your device.
Tap Sign Out twice to confirm action.

After signing out of iCloud, restart your iPhone then head back to settings and sign into your iCloud account again.

Fourth solution: Update your iPad Pro software to the latest iOS version available.

Malwares and bugs are also among the possible triggers. And the quickest and most effective way to eliminate these factors from the possible triggers is by installing the latest firmware update for your device. If your iPad Pro has stable Wi-Fi Internet connection, you can check for new iOS update to download and install via over-the-air. Here’s how:

From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
Scroll down and select General.
Tap Software update.

If a new iOS version is available, you will see a notification containing the update details, new features, fix patches, and other relevant information. To take advantage of the update benefits, simply follow the onscreen instructions to download and install it on your device.

Restart your iPad after updating to ensure that all new system changes are properly implemented. Doing so will likewise refresh the apps and prevents them from acting up after the platform transition.

Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your iPad Pro.

You may resort to performing system resets if the problem continues after applying the previous methods. In this case, you can try a network reset first. Doing so will clear out all network errors that are attributed to incorrect networks settings on the iPad Pro. Bluetooth connections and Wi-Fi networks are also deleted in the process, thus you will need to set up your iPad to re-establish these connections afterwards. Here’s how to reset network settings on an iPad Pro:

Tap Settings from your Home screen.
Select General.
Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
Select the option to Reset network settings.
If prompted, enter your passcode to proceed.
Then the on Reset network settings again when asked to confirm.

After the reset, your iPad should restart by itself. Wait until it boots up and then set up and connect to your Wi-Fi network.

If none of the prior methods is able to fix the problem and you still couldn’t get AirDrop to work on your iPad Pro, then you’re more likely dealing with a more complex system issue. It’s also possible that the problem is not on your iPad but rather on the other Apple device that you’re trying to use AirDrop with. In that case, you can try performing the basic troubleshooting procedures to rule out minor software glitches that might have caused your other AirDrop device to fail.

For more advanced solutions and other options, contact Apple Support and report the issue you’re dealing with when attempting to use AirDrop. And while waiting for the ultimate fix, you can use other file transfer options like Bluetooth, iTunes or third-party iOS file transfer tools.

I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!

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