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The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

arstechnica.com

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Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#21

Post by mensetmanusman »

star-glider wrote: post #5

I'm libertarian, but I have to say watching the EU torment Apple has been delightful and one of the stronger arguments for muscular regulatory action. The USB-C thing just made everything better. It cost Apple basically nothing---maybe a few million/year of profit, which for a company that's worth $3 trillion is nothing, and it made my and many other people's lives quite a bit more convenient. Same with this Airdrop…

The usb C to hdmi adapter is 100x less reliable than the lightning to hdmi adapter (having talked to many that used both).

Not sure why that is, but something to ponder.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#23

Post by lxgr »

eastbound wrote: post #10

So what is it? Comanagement between EU representatives and Apple employees? It looks like the German model where unions co-manage the companies. On the paper it looks great, but the problem is the EU is not necessarily representing its citizens. It’s great for my Apple products, but I’m also paying for an entire lavish class of superior citizen in Brussels who implement laws written by lobbies.

> the problem is the EU is not necessarily representing its citizens.

Yes, EU citizens probably absolutely love not being able to conveniently share files between Android and iOS.

> I’m also paying for an entire lavish class of superior citizen in Brussels who implement laws written by lobbies.

What lobbies, in this particular case? Google? Samsung?

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#24

Post by thinkindie »

> If I had to guess why neither of Google’s Quick Share posts mentions Wi-Fi interoperability standards or the DMA, it may be because Google has been complaining about various aspects of the law and its enforcement since before it was even passed

This is telling a lot about US companies complaining about EU laws.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#25

Post by OhNoNotAgain_99 »

llm_nerd wrote: post #12
usrnm wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple also helped develop USB C more than a decade ago, they still had to be forced to actually use it in their phones. There is no contradiction here

Users all got to complain that the EU are the meanies responsible for their old wires and chargers and accessory no longer being compatible, but it seems infinitely more likely that Apple was going to adopt USB-C on largely the same schedule even if the EU didn't intercede. To be clear, Apple had already moved their laptops and computers to USB-C -- long in advance of almost any one else -- and had moved their iPad P…

[dead]

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#26

Post by icehawk »

llm_nerd wrote: post #12
usrnm wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple also helped develop USB C more than a decade ago, they still had to be forced to actually use it in their phones. There is no contradiction here

Users all got to complain that the EU are the meanies responsible for their old wires and chargers and accessory no longer being compatible, but it seems infinitely more likely that Apple was going to adopt USB-C on largely the same schedule even if the EU didn't intercede. To be clear, Apple had already moved their laptops and computers to USB-C -- long in advance of almost any one else -- and had moved their iPad P…

People spent a whole decade complaining about the iPod dock -> Lightning change.

I'd wait to blame the EU also.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#27

Post by madeofpalk »

People keep mentioning Wi-Fi Aware with this, but so far haven't seen anyone actually prove that this is the case.

Apple undoubtedly added Wi-Fi Aware support to iOS https://developer.apple.com/documentation/WiFiAware, but its not clear whether iOS actually supports AirDrop over Wi-Fi Aware. Apple clearly hasn't completely dropped AWDL for AirDrop, because you can still AirDrop from iOS 26 to earlier devices.

Note that the Ars Technica article never directly makes the claim that Apple supports Airdrop over Wi-Fi Aware. The title is two independent statements - "The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop" - that's true.

> Google doesn’t mention it in either Quick Share post, but if you’re wondering why it’s suddenly possible for Quick Share to work with AirDrop, it can almost certainly be credited to European Union regulations imposed under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Again, they're just theorising. They never directly make the claim. Would love on Hacker News for someone to do some Hacking and actually figure it out for real!

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#29

Post by llm_nerd »

dickersnoodle wrote: post #17
llm_nerd wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Users all got to complain that the EU are the meanies responsible for their old wires and chargers and accessory no longer being compatible, but it seems infinitely more likely that Apple was going to adopt USB-C on largely the same schedule even if the EU didn't intercede. To be clear, Apple had already moved their laptops and computers to USB-C -- long in advance of almost any one else -- and had moved their iPad P…

It's conceivably politically incorrect to use this reference, but Apple was begging the EU not to throw them into that briar patch.

Begging? Apple filed a couple of light objections -- basically a "don't regulate us, bro" -- and then moved on. Their resistance was laughably superficial

Look, Apple is a predatory, extraordinarily greedy company, but these sorts of "thanks EU!" discussions are a riot. Thanks EU, for making Apple support a clone of an Apple feature that didn't exist until Apple made it, and for "forcing" Apple to transition their line to USB-C, which they were already almost completely done doing.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#30

Post by fragmede »

joejohnson wrote: post #4

I wonder if it's related to Apple's change from AWDL to Wi-Fi Aware, but AirDrop seems much more reliable on iOS 26. I can send to multiple people at once and they often all succeed, but most importantly, if one transfer fails or is cancelled, I can retry and it works. In older versions of iOS, a failed transfer seemed to block all future attempts until the phone was restarted.

the weird one for me is that if I hit share, and then hit the airdrop target, it doesn't work, but if go into airdrop and then select the same target, then works. Apple, fix your shit, yo.
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