• @[email protected]
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    1 day ago

    Because sometimes you need to transfer something to people not in your contacts list but is physically with you.

    You have to turn it on to accept other people sending and it shuts off automatically after 10 minutes, and you have to accept the file as well.

    Fun fact: China and every other government can track your phone through its connection to the towers and it giving away your IMSI. They don’t need AirDrop to know who is behind what number at what location.

    • @[email protected]
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      21 day ago

      China forced Apple to only allow airdrop to all for a few minutes at a time, as apparently it was a popular way to spread Winnie the Pooh pictures

      • @[email protected]OP
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        171 day ago

        It was actually digital leaflets, not Winnie the Pooh. (source)

        I know it’s not your fault, but honestly, the Winnie the Pooh meme is so overplayed. It distracts from the real, documented activism happening in China and brings up a tired, dehumanizing joke over an incredibly serious issue. It feels ignorant and reduces the gravity of what’s happening there. Again, I know you didn’t mean it this way—it’s just a broader problem with how the English-speaking internet often frames these discussions.

        • @[email protected]
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          41 day ago

          Oh no, I do know it is actual dissent circulating, but every now and then it’s good to remind people that for some reason Mr Xi Jinping hates the damn stupid comparison with a cartoon bear. And it is actual dissent, since they’ve actually temporarily blocked queries on Baidu for such The Poo, Winnie

          • @[email protected]OP
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            23 hours ago

            see, you say “every now and then” but i see it every single time

            just putting that out there. would love to see a world where English speakers are aware of the material struggles Chinese citizens face, and vice versa, at least alongside the memetic symbols like Pooh and Tank Man, instead of hidden behind them.

    • @[email protected]
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      1 day ago

      When they’re physically with you and willing to accept files from you, they can give you their number or scan a QR code on your phone.
      In any case, airdrop requests should by default be ignored if the sender isn’t in your contacts, with an option to toggle that.

      • @[email protected]
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        1 day ago

        Or I can turn on AirDrop temporarily and let them wirelessly send it? How the fuck is handing your phone over to someone better? And a QR code is just annoying compared to tapping a name in a list and the other person accepting your request.

        • @[email protected]
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          11 day ago

          It all depends on implementation. If AirDrop reception is disabled by default and you don’t get a notification unless you activate it first, then I guess it’s fine.

          • @[email protected]
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            41 day ago

            That’s exactly how it is.

            The default is only people in your contacts list can ask to send you stuff or you can have it turned off and it’ll stay off.