OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python • Hacker News Board

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#111

Post by GeekyBear » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 2:11 AM UTC

spicybright wrote: post #81

macNchz wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve encountered many of these as well and have always assumed this was somehow the result of trying to make everything “just work”, wherein providing detailed user feedback or error messages would be some kind of admission that it hadn’t “just worked”.

It either "just works" or "just doesn't work"

I've seen one of the Bluetooth guys from Google Glass say that it's perfectly normal in the industry to silently restart the Bluetooth stack before every connection attempt.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26647981

I guess Apple should adopt that too, since toggling Airplane mode on and off is the usual fix for issues with services layered on top of Bluetooth?

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#112

Post by coolspot » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 2:48 AM UTC

matthewfcarlson wrote: post #15

Make me want to setup a raspberry pi in a public place and just see what sort of things people send to it.

Pavel Zhovner, creator of Flipper[1] had this cool post [2] in June 2020 on how he used Apple AirDrop for automated dating and fun. It included the phone number recovery component as well.

1 - https://flipperzero.one/

2 - https://m.habr.com/ru/company/ruvds/blog/505384/

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#113

Post by infamia » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 3:05 AM UTC

bee_rider wrote: post #94

infamia wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was mostly thinking about Macs at the time I made the joke, because very often an iOS user is also a Mac user. Where I work, Mac users always have to carry around dongles.

I think it is the other way around -- almost always a Mac user will be an iOS user, but there are plenty of iPhone users without Macs. At least in the US. iPhones seem to be around 50%-ish of sales in recent years, while Macs are not as popular, somewhere around 15%. https://9to5mac.com/2021/07/13/mac-market-share-q2-2021/ https://www.phonearena.com/news/apple-iphone-record-sales-us... Of course, there are lots of co…

That makes sense, thanks for the info. Where I work there are lots Mac users, so the Venn diagram of iPhone users who use a PC isn't as noticeable. :D

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#114

Post by trevcanhuman » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 3:47 AM UTC

sudhirkhanger wrote: post #110

I have been having a huge problem getting pics and videos out of my partner's iPhone. We don't have a Mac or Windows to run iTunes. The only way I have found is to upload pics to Google Drive but then I have to keep the app open on iPhone until all pics are uploaded and bringing Google in between doesn't feel well. Is there a way to transfer pics from iOS to Android wirelessly and locally similar to Xender or Nearby…

Do you have a Linux machine ? If so, use libimobiledevice to connect your phone with a cable. the Arch Wiki walks you through syncing your pictures [0] from an iOS Device to a Linux machine.

For wireless / through LAN:

If you want to transfer pictures/files/practically anything that can be uploaded through a web browser, you may use something like [1] snapdrop, it allows you to transfer files securely on a LAN Network, using WebSockets.

[0] https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/IOS

[1] https://snapdrop.net/

Edit: specified (not)wireless

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#115

Post by onemiketwelve » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 4:56 AM UTC

Would it be possible to make this work on Android? Airdrop is the one thing I really wish I had

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#116

Post by shinazueli » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 7:23 AM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #106

quitit wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find a lot of the grief with these protocols is driven by which wifi router is in use. When using the old Apple wifi routers I never had trouble with homekit, airdrop, handoff, airplay or any of the zeroconfig network stuff: as soon as I switched to other brands the issues would pop up (including ones that oddly seem to persist even after disconnecting from wifi - but then disappear when using a different user acco…

Specifically with Homekit, a wired Apple TV and good quality home networking equipment with wired access points makes a world of difference. I use Aruba Instant On, but I have had good experiences with Orbi at higher prices and Linksys Velop at the lower end from Costco. Also, if you have a lot of Homekit stuff, it is best to use devices that have their own Zwave or Zigbee or whatever hubs that are then connected via…

I actually have the exact opposite experience. I have tried multiple different brands, all of which work JUST FINE with any other device, Android, internet connected devices, even my iPhones will work in every single room of my house.

Literally nothing I can do can make every HomePod on my network “just work”.

I would pay literally twice the amount of money for a HomePod with a fucking Ethernet port. Siri itself works amazingly well with it: when it can communicate.

The dream is to be able to wirelessly and effortlessly play music throughout my home, but I’m about to just give the fucking HomePods away and just wire speakers to every room in the house, even if it does cost more, it’ll actually fucking WORK.

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#117

Post by perryizgr8 » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 9:52 AM UTC

supreme_berry wrote: post #17

jbverschoor wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also my experience.. Super unreliable. It works, as long as you don't touch your phone/laptop, and don't have any network hickups. Still, it's the only thing that works

When I was traveling from Sharm El Sheikh through Sinai to Israel in the bus I’ve transferred 40GB of photos and videos to my friends on iPhone 6S. Imagine this on Android 5 years ago - they (Google) only managed to copy AirDrop with same functionality (wifi + bluetooh) only in 2020 with Nearby Share.

Samsung phones have had this feature for years. So if you had the top of the line androids, you would have been able to do the same thing you did with your Iphones. I see many people make the mistake of comparing $1000 Iphones to the cheapest $200 android phones and use that as evidence of Iphone superiority. I guess we have Apple's marketing and brand to thank for that.

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#118

Post by jiehong » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 10:06 AM UTC

sudhirkhanger wrote: post #110

I have been having a huge problem getting pics and videos out of my partner's iPhone. We don't have a Mac or Windows to run iTunes. The only way I have found is to upload pics to Google Drive but then I have to keep the app open on iPhone until all pics are uploaded and bringing Google in between doesn't feel well. Is there a way to transfer pics from iOS to Android wirelessly and locally similar to Xender or Nearby…

Another way:

I mount a shared directory (from my NAS) with Files, and save a copy there (connected with Wifi).

The other device can then access it similarly.

You could also connect both apple ids as a family and have iCloud sync them maybe?

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#119

Post by Traubenfuchs » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 1:14 PM UTC

elondaits wrote: post #10

Traubenfuchs wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It‘s brilliant until a pair of devices enters a state where the target does not receive airdrop notifications anymore, while the source is stuck on „waiting“, which can only be resolved by restarting the devices.

When AirDrop doesn’t work I just turn Bluetooth off and on on the device. That’s usually enough.

Sometimes it is for me, sometimes it isn‘t. It fails up to 25% of times.

Re: OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in Python

#120

Post by ascagnel_ » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 2:07 PM UTC

patentatt wrote: post #28

matthewfcarlson wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or the reverse of that where it sends a random meme to anyone walking by.

Oh no, a thousand marketers just had the idea of automatically airdropping advertisements to passers-by. You could even structure it as a lottery-esque type of thing, only giving out good coupons or discounts to random individuals at random intervals, prompting people to loiter and wait for theirs.

You joke, but Apple rolled out some BT-based beacon stuff that allows stores to do some user tracking at short range -- and it can be used to pop local notifications. I don't think stores have gone down the "you're here and we're going to advertise to you" route (since that'd be creepy as hell), but its more grist for the mill.