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AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

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Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#411

Post by jtuple »

baxtr wrote: post #157

Ok, so people jump directly to the conclusion that this was introduced because the CCP asked for it. Yet, if that was the case why limit it only? Why not ask for a complete stop? Is there a case where a protestor benefits from AirDrop but only if it’s more than 10 minutes?

It's a 10 minute limit on receiving, which needs manual intervention to reset.

That pretty much kills Airdrop as an open P2P communication channel (the "undesired" usage) while still enabling one off intentional file transfers (the primary Airdrop use case).

So a 10 minute limit easily kills 99% of "bad" usage without impacting common usage, leading to less resistance/complaints from average users. Killing Airdrop full stop would have greater push back/outrage, with only marginal improvement against the undesired usage.

Q: How does 10 min limit kill the P2P communciation usage?

A: Imagine your cell phone could only receive calls from non-contacts for 10 min. After which you had to remember to push a button to re-allow calls for another 10m, rinse/repeat. With that UX, the chance you ever successfully call or be called by a non-contact is near zero. People wouldn't opt-in frequently enough to have a reliable network.

Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#412

Post by lovvtide »

rchaud wrote: post #213

Time for a new operating system (if we didn't already hit that mark with the 2013 NSA leaks). Apple, Google, Samsung, Huawei: they all exist at the pleasure of the state. Please ignore their glitzy PR-laden presentations about protecting people's privacy and upholding human rights. They will sell you out in a second if it's convenient. On the mobile side of things, we need, at the barest minimum: - a web based OS wit…

I would add:

- The ability to send push notifications without replying on GCM/APN

- Support for mesh networking (multiple low power peer connections)

- Convenient "lockdown" mode that encrypts your phone's contents for international travel

- Included hardware wallet/keystore for signing all data that you upload to social media

Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#413

Post by gruez »

mmmpop wrote: post #383
whimsicalism wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple certainly tailors the emojis available to the local political climate. They don't, for instance, have the flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, instead using the flag of the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

I can still see the Iran flag in all of its unaltered glory here in the US. I guess they missed the memo?

Afghanistan =/= Iran

The parent poster was referring to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Afghanistan

Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#414

Post by bitwzrd »

dymk wrote: post #311
lordofgibbons wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If you open airdrop to everyone, your device can be tracked and identified individually. That can already be done using cell towers (especially with 5G) and GPS enabled state-supervised apps like WeChat, etc. So that's not a good reason.

If only iPhones had a way to turn off its cellular radio, some kind of “airplane mode” or something

Why should we possibly believe that any software switches actually fully disable anything? If there isn't a hardware killswitch, there is no reasonable expectation that the cellular radio is actually disabled...

There are trustworthy sources claiming that the NSA still tracks devices that are completely "powered off".

No reason to believe that the CCP doesn't have that ability as well.

Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#415

Post by TylerE »

bell-cot wrote: post #408
cosmojg wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Customization? On an Apple device? Are you out of your mind?

Have you looked at how much stuff there is under Settings on a recent version of iOS? Admittedly it's not the Windows Registry, but...

Sadly it's missing a few things that would be really nice, like being able to turn off the %*(% home bar.

Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#416

Post by racl101 »

exabrial wrote: post #58

* Apple is not a green company * Apple is not a free speech advocate * Apple builds their products with unethical labor

Technically speaking none of these giant corporations are "our friend". They are with the people until their bottom line is impacted / threatened. Frankly, I'm not surprised.

Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#417

Post by freefruit »

jsnell wrote: post #8

This seems to have been announced a couple of weeks ago, so we don't need to just trust the tweet: https://www.macworld.com/article/1377200/apple-to-limit-aird... Having it open to everyone for only a limited amount of time actually kind of seems like the right thing, but it's hard to come up with a legit explanation for why they rushed that change to China first.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23450967/apple-airdrop-l...

It was brought in because of protests in mainland China. Just not because of the current ones, but previous ones.

Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#418

Post by yuy910616 »

Mikeb85 wrote: post #396
rchaud wrote: post #213

Time for a new operating system (if we didn't already hit that mark with the 2013 NSA leaks). Apple, Google, Samsung, Huawei: they all exist at the pleasure of the state. Please ignore their glitzy PR-laden presentations about protecting people's privacy and upholding human rights. They will sell you out in a second if it's convenient. On the mobile side of things, we need, at the barest minimum: - a web based OS wit…

At least Google and Samsung don't give in to dictatorships. Yes, hypothetically the US and South Korea hold some power over them... However Google has stood up to Russia, China and others. Unlike Apple...

I'd somewhat hesitate to give out credit like that. It's more of that China kicked out Google, thus freeing Google to "stand up" to the CCP. I would love to see more of an example where a company had a lot on the line and still oppose the CCP

Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#419

Post by horsawlarway »

skissane wrote: post #284
horsawlarway wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is nothing terrible about Apple making devices my 80+ year old mother can safely and easily use. This - this line is the part of your argument I find fairly bullshit. There is nothing stopping Apple from making the same device, but giving you the keys to install your own software on it. Hell - They can even bury it in the settings, or lock it down through a provisioned profile so you can help your mom by turn…

> There is nothing stopping Apple from making the same device, but giving you the keys to install your own software on it. They do, at the app level. As a developer you can install whatever app you want on your own devices, even apps which would never be allowed in AppStore or TestFlight (although still not with all the entitlements Apple’s own apps can get.) OS level, your point stands.

Even then - apps which might want to do things like send multicast packets (very useful in lots of home automations situations) can't do it, using the developer program, without going through approval on the store.

You utterly do not own those devices. Apple sells a house where they kept the keys to all the locks, but people think it's ok "because they'll keep me safe and unlock my doors when I need them to!".

Nevermind the risk is mostly a marketing boogeyman in the first place.

Re: AirDrop is now limited to 10 minutes

#420

Post by luckylion »

dymk wrote: post #311
lordofgibbons wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If you open airdrop to everyone, your device can be tracked and identified individually. That can already be done using cell towers (especially with 5G) and GPS enabled state-supervised apps like WeChat, etc. So that's not a good reason.

If only iPhones had a way to turn off its cellular radio, some kind of “airplane mode” or something

Doesn't "airplane mode" disable "airdrop" as well?
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