Apple bringing “Everyone for 10 Minutes” AirDrop setting to all users with iOS 16.2

Apple has confirmed within the latest release of the iOS 16.2 developer beta that it will bring its new “Everyone for 10 Minutes” setting for AirDrop, which aims to tackle spam by limiting the duration that users are able to AirDrop to devices that are not saved in their Contacts, to all users this month with the upcoming software update.

Originally, Apple intended to release the new AirDrop setting only to users in China, reportedly following a government request in the country after anti-government material was recently spread by protesters using AirDrop in crowded spaces, although now Apple is bringing the new setting to all users beginning with iOS 16.2.

With the “Everyone for 10 Minutes” setting enabled, devices will receive AirDrop requests from any device for up to 10 minutes. After 10 minutes has been reached, AirDrop will automatically default to the “Contacts Only” option, with users having to manually switch back to “Everyone for 10 Minutes” if they wish to continue to receive AirDrop requests from devices not saved as a contact for a further 10 minutes.

An official release date for iOS 16.2 hasn’t been confirmed, but Apple has previously stated that the update will be made available at some point during the month of December.