Apple Revamping AirDrop For ‘Superior Performance And Security’

A new patent reveals Apple's plans to introduce new technology that will provide the AirDrop with “superior performance and security.”

A patent application recently published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reveals Apple's plans to improve the AirDrop's ability to more accurately determine the exact location and identity of each Apple device it is connected to. The patent was first spotted by Patently Apple.

The patent described a potential AirDrop update, or replacement, that makes use of millimeter wave signals to identify and locate wireless electronic devices it can communicate with. The use of mmWave signals is seen to significantly enhance the AirDrop's performance.

Apple, in the patent, said that wireless electronic devices often connect to and communicate with other nearby wireless electronic devices for a variety of purposes. One of these purposes, for example, is so that files can be exchanged between these devices.

Sharing information and files to other users by means of short-range communications protocols such as Bluetooth, however, may prove difficult at times as users will need to concern themselves with range and security – the more people that use the same protocol in an area, the more difficult it may be for a user to safely connect with the device he intends to share files to.

Apple's patent describes a technology that is designed to help wireless electronic devices to accurately locate and identify other available wireless electronic devices in the area. This technology will allow users to have “better and more intuitive control over which device the user shares information with, what information is shared, and when the information is communicated between the two devices.”

In order for the system to work properly, it has to have control circuitry that will determine a nearby electronid device's location in relation to the user's device. It also has to have a display that will show images indicating where the nearby device can be found.

The control circuitry will determine the exact location of nearby devices based on the signals they send. The control circuitry may require the user to move the device so that it can get a more accurate reading based on the signals it receives from other devices. It can automatically transfer information between devices, or ask the user for permission before doing so.

This technology is seen to enhance the AirDrop's overall performance and security. Users won't have to worry about sending files to the wrong device, and will also be able to determine where unauthorized transmission can possibly come from.

The patent states that the technology will not be limited to the AirDrop. It can also be placed inside iPhones, Macs, MacBooks, iPads, Apple Watches and more. Its release, however, remains unknown at the moment.