AirDrop is a handy technology for sharing files with nearby iPhone owners. However, some smart guys don’t hesitate to use AirDrop to make bad jokes. Passengers on flight 3316 from Las Vegas to Hawaii paid the price.
You are probably familiar with AirDrop. This proprietary Apple technology allows share and receive photos, documents, and other file types with nearby Apple devices. To do this, AirDrop uses Bluetooth LTE and Wi-Fi, the first to detect compatible and open devices to receive files, the second for transmission.
Although this tool is extremely practical for sharing files, some clever little ones do not hesitate to exploit it to make bad jokes. A teenager will also pay the costs after triggering a false bomb threat via AirDrop on a plane in February 2023.
And precisely, our colleagues from the New York Post have just told us of a similar story. A Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Hawaii was rerouted after passengers received alarming photos by AirDrop suggesting the presence of a bomb on board.
Fake bomb threat triggered by AirDrop
Indeed, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office reported that an unidentified traveler used Apple’s feature to broadcast disturbing images. Authorities received this information around 11 a.m., just hours after takeoff.
Faced with the growing panic on board and as an obvious security measure, flight 3316 was forced to land in Oakland, in California. Once on the ground, the police searched the plane and the luggage on board from top to bottom in search of an explosive device, without result. Oakland Airport Services, Air Police and the TSA worked together to evacuate passengers, all terrified by the bomb threat.
Also read: iOS 17 will block porn photos and videos sent by AirDrop
No arrests so far
Eventually, this forced stop made it possible to avert any danger and the flight to Hawaii resumed six hours later, according to real-time flight tracking website FlightAware. For its part, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation was still ongoing, without specifying the content of the images shared by the disturber or his identity. No arrests have been made at this time.
“We place no higher priority than safety and appreciate the patience and understanding passengers have shown during this delayed trip to Hawaii.” Southwest Airlines wrote in a statement. As a reminder, there is a similar technology on Android called Nearby Share. Recently, Google has also facilitated file transfers between Android and Windows PCs.