AirDrop is a pretty popular file-sharing feature among Apple users. Well, it’s the official sharing tool for iPhones and iPads. It allows users to send and receive files wirelessly. Typically, AirDrop is widely used for sharing photos between iPhones. If someone took a great photo of you, you can just ask them to AirDrop it to your iPhone. How convenient!
But of course, there are instances where you may not only send/receive a picture or two but multiple photos. This makes one wonder– how many photos can your AirDrop at once? If you’ve been asking the same question, it’s your lucky day! In this article, we are going to tell you how many photos you can share and how to AirDrop them. Read on!
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FYI: How Many Photos Can You AirDrop at Once
In truth, AirDrop can send as many photos as you like. Even if you need to transfer 1,000 photos, AirDrop can do it. Apple has not specified limitations on the number of photos the feature can handle.
However, there are certain issues that could affect users when AirDropping multiple photos. Yes! Even though there’s no specified limit, you may resort to sending photos in small batches due to these factors:
- Prolonged Bluetooth and WIFI use by AirDrop can cause thermal throttling.
- The phone may heat up, affecting transfer speeds, and causing longer waiting time.
- You may be unsure if the receiving phone has enough storage for the photos.
- CPU and RAM play a huge role. If you are transferring many photos, older iPhones (like iPhone 5s) may have a hard time processing such a heavy task.
That’s the thing with wireless transfer features like AirDrop. There are cases where you are forced not to send too many photos, especially if they have large file sizes. If you’re only sending 1-50 photos, that’s okay! But more than that, you may need to use phone data transfer apps via a computer (wired).
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Tutorial: How to AirDrop Photos on iPhone
AirDropping photos is no rocket science. But if you are new to the iPhone, here’s how to do it:
Step 1
Enable AirDrop on both iPhones. Just scroll up from the bottom of the home screen to summon the Control Center. There, tap on the WIFI/Bluetooth card and you will see AirDrop. Turn it on.

Step 2
On receiving the iPhone, set the AirDrop visibility to Contacts Only or Everyone depending on your situation. Then, proceed to the source iPhone and launch the Photos app. There, just select the photos you wish to send.
Step 3
After your selection, tap on the Share icon. Options will appear from the bottom of the screen. Select AirDrop. There, you will see all nearby Apple devices. Choose the receiving iPhone’s name.

Step 4
Back to the receiving iPhone, an AirDrop permission prompt should appear. Just tap on the Accept button to start the transfer process. Just wait until it’s complete and the photos should be successfully transferred.
Note:
As mentioned, AirDrop tends to heat up when sending multiple large-sized photos. When this happens, 64GB worth of photos is transferred between 45 minutes to 1 hour. That’s a long wait.
Bonus: Transfer Photos via MobileTrans instead of AirDrop
If you are a power user like someone who constantly transfers multiple photos in bulk to your Apple devices or other people’s iPhones, you need MobileTrans to make things easier. It’s a phone transfer app that you can install on a computer (Mac/Windows) and you can use it to transfer iPhone photos and other files via USB cables.
Top Phone Transfer
Best Phone-to-Phone, Phone-to-PC Transfer Option
- Transfer between Android & iPhone, Android & Android
- Back up phone to PC & Mac, Restore in one-click
- Lossless and Fast Transfer with Bulk Selection
*Compatible with iOS/iPadOS 17, Windows 10/11, Android 13, and macOS Ventura.
Since it’s wired, it’s faster and doesn’t heat up, making sure that you can transfer multiple photos without limit, regardless of size. You don’t need to worry about sending files in small batches.
With MobileTrans, you can transfer 64GB of photos in just 5-10 minutes. That’s a lot faster than AirDrop. You can surely save time and effort. In addition, you have the option to transfer photos selectively or in bulk. This means that you can use it to transfer specific photos to another device or when you need to move to a new iPhone. What an all-around transfer tool.

Quality loss is not an issue, either. MobileTrans will preserve the original quality, clarity, size, resolution, and other details of each photo you transfer.
Moreover, MobileTrans allows you to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone, iPhone to Android, iPhone to Mac, iPhone to Windows, and vice versa. So, what are you waiting for? Try MobileTrans now. Just interact with the banner above to download it for free.
Note:
MobileTrans can also transfer videos, documents, music files, voice memos, messages, contacts, notes, apps, and more.
Conclusion
While there’s no limit to how many photos you can AirDrop at once, there are reasons why you may opt to send them in small batches. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean there’s no other way to mass-transfer photos in one go. There are apps like MobileTrans that can help you do it efficiently and quickly.