Apple limits AirDrop, an iPhone file-sharing tool used for protests in China

AirDrop allows for the quick exchange of files such as images, documents or videos between Apple devices. Latest Version – iOS 16.1.1, released Wednesday — caps the window in which users can receive files from non-contacts in 10 minutes. The time involved in the previous options was not limited. Users can choose to receive files from everyone, none or only their contacts.

After the 10-minute period expires, the system reverts to the mode where files can only be retrieved from contacts. This means that individuals will not be able to receive AirDrop transfers from a stranger without having actively turned on the feature in the last few minutes. This makes it difficult for anyone seeking to distribute content and reach people discreetly.

Apple changes AirDrop on iPhones sold in China. The change came after protesters in the country used the service to spread posters against Xi Jinping and the Chinese government. The use of airdrops to circumvent China’s strict online censorship has been well-documented over the past three years and has only recently been exposed again.

Apple did not comment on why the change was introduced in China, but said it plans to roll out the new AirDrop setting globally in the coming year. The idea is to reduce unwanted file sharing, the company said.

But the Cupertino, California-based tech giant has been criticized in the past for making changes to iPhone features to please the Chinese government. In one instance, the iPhone maker took heat for hiding the Taiwanese flag emoji for users in Hong Kong or Macau in 2019. It also removed apps for virtual private networks, or VPNs, which are commonly used to bypass the country’s Internet firewalls. Many of Apple’s services aren’t even available in China — the world’s largest smartphone market — including Apple TV, the iTunes Store, paid podcasts, Apple Books, and Apple Arcade.

China Suppressing social discontent faces a growing challenge. Anti-government slogans were raised in cities like Beijing ahead of a major Communist Party meeting last month. During pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, activists used airdrops to spread their political demands. China vowed over the weekend to stick to its harsh Covid Zero policy, crushing hopes that Beijing could ease controls after its party congress.

The AirDrop feature has been controversial since the iPhone’s debut with iOS 7 in 2013, as it has been used inappropriately in settings outside of China. There have been several reports of flight delays or cancellations over the past year due to plane passengers sending false terrorism threats or pornographic images to other people on board.

This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.