If you’re in the Apple ecosystem at all, you’re no doubt familiar with AirDrop. The feature lets you wirelessly transfer photos, files, contacts, and more from iPhone to iPhone. Well, any Apple device, really. Microsoft’s version of this for iPhone to PC transfers has just launched. Only, it’s not quite as seamless – you need to download a new Microsoft-grown app.
The new feature comes through Microsoft’s Phone Link app for Windows and the Link to Windows app for iPhone. If you’ve got the latest versions of both installed, you can now flick files between your devices, just like Apple’s AirDrop.
It’s a move that feels long overdue, considering AirDrop has been smugly doing this for years. No more emailing files to yourself or faffing about with cloud storage apps just to transfer a single photo. When you want to send a file from your iPhone to your PC, find the file in iOS, hit the Share button, and choose Link to Windows. Pick your PC, and your file’s on its way. You can do it just as easily the other way, too.
This isn’t Microsoft’s first crack at seamless file transfers. Android users have been enjoying a similar feature since last year, which felt like Microsoft testing the waters. The catch? You’ll need to meet a few requirements. For starters, make sure your iPhone is running iOS 16 or later. Your PC needs Windows 10 or 11, and you’ll need to sign up for the Windows Insider Program because.
For everyone else, you’ll have to wait until Microsoft decides to unleash the update on the wider public.