Despite being a tremendously useful function, Apple’s Airdrop is not without its flaws.
A Southwest Airlines pilot recently threatened to return to the airport after becoming enraged at passengers. Through Apple’s Airdrop, the passengers were discovered to be exchanging nude photos. The pilot of the aircraft seized the intercom as things were out of control and warned the passengers firmly.
Teighlor Marsalis (@teighmars), a user of the video-sharing app Tiktok, recorded the entire episode on his phone and uploaded it to the site.
“Well, here’s the deal. If this continues while we’re on the ground, I’m gonna have to pull back to the gate, everybody’s gonna have to get off [and] we’re gonna have to get security involved, and your vacation is going to be ruined. So folks, whatever that AirDrop thing is, quit sending naked pictures and let’s get you to Cabo,” the pilot can be heard saying in the TikTok video.
The passengers were exchanging nude pictures while using Airdrop, an iOS feature that enables the iPhone to distribute large files like photos, videos, and other media to other iOS devices without a WiFi or cellular connection. Although Airdrop is a fantastic tool for sending large files quickly, if users have their settings configured to be publicly discoverable, it may also result in undesirable circumstances. You should only be findable through contact in the interest of security.
According to an Insider article, Marsalis, who captured the entire episode on camera, claimed that a passenger approached airline officials after receiving a nude picture on his iPhone. The TikTok user also claimed to the newspaper that the aircraft employees may have seen the naked photo, but they vehemently denied it when questioned.