AirDrop issues between iPhone 15 Pro and Child's iPad Pro (2018) despite Screen Time/Family Sharing setup
Hello everyone,
I’m struggling with a persistent AirDrop issue between my iPhone 15 Pro and my child’s iPad Pro (2018). Both devices are running the latest operating systems. I am the Family Organizer/Guardian, and the iPad is managed via Screen Time and Family Sharing.
The Problem:
AirDrop is extremely inconsistent. It worked briefly after some troubleshooting steps, but then stopped again. Currently, I cannot see the iPad on my iPhone, and sending vCards or photos fails even when the iPad is set to "Everyone for 10 Minutes." AirDrop works perfectly between my phone and my wife’s phone, so the issue is isolated to the child's iPad.
Current Configuration:
- Parent Device: iPhone 15 Pro (Latest OS).
- Child Device: iPad Pro 2018 (Latest OS).
- Roles: I am confirmed as the "Organizer" and "Guardian" for the child in Family Sharing.
- Screen Time: "Content & Privacy Restrictions" -> "Allowed Apps" -> AirDrop is enabled (Green).
- Communication Safety: Currently set to "ON" on the iPad.
- Share Across Devices: This option is enabled.
What I have tried so far:
- Forced Restart: Performed a hard reset (Volume Up, Volume Down, holding Power button) on the iPad.
- Network Reset: Reset Network Settings on the iPad multiple times.
- Renaming Device: Changed the iPad’s name to force a network refresh. This worked for exactly one photo transfer, then it failed again.
- Visibility Settings: Manually set AirDrop to "Everyone for 10 Minutes."
- Contact Management:
- Deleted my contact from the iPad and tried to recreate it.
- Verified my Apple ID email is correctly listed in the family settings.
- Checked the "Find My" app; I appear there as a family member, but the "Add to Contacts" option is missing (suggesting the system thinks I am already there, yet AirDrop doesn't recognize me as a safe contact). I then proceeded to delete myself to add my contact via the "Find My" app.
6. Communication Limits: Checked limits; even when set to "Everyone," the iPad remains invisible or refuses transfers.
The Current State:
Even after a fresh Network Reset and renaming the iPad, it might work for one transfer and then immediately becomes invisible to my iPhone again. I am also unable to AirDrop my vCard to the iPad to "refresh" the contact connection.
Has anyone encountered this "one-time success then failure" loop with Screen Time/Family Sharing? Is there a specific cache or security setting (perhaps linked to "Communication Safety") that keeps blocking me as a parent?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I just want to airdop photos to my kids iPad.
Best regards,
Sandro
iPhone 15 Pro
