Phone to Laptop

[Marrk]

I can no longer e-mail or txt cellphone pics from my phone to my laptop although I can AirDrop them. This used to work just fine for me.

Any thoughts?

 

[Rod]

Since when? Are we talking post updates or what? I mean if Airdrop works that's good, it doesn't for everybody. What macOS and iOS are you on now?

Currently I just use the Share button on my iPhone for everything, my MacBook is always first on the list if nearby. If not, I share to email and send to myself using a different email address. What happens when you do that?

 

[Marrk]

Since when? Are we talking post updates or what? I mean if Airdrop works that's good, it doesn't for everybody. What macOS and iOS are you on now?

Currently I just use the Share button on my iPhone for everything, my MacBook is always first on the list if nearby. If not, I share to email and send to myself using a different email address. What happens when you do that?

MacBook Pro 14" 2021 OS 15.5 Sequoia • iPhone SE iOS 18.5

This situation started recently.

I am not familiar with the share button.

 

[Rod]

The Share button is the primary way of "sharing" images, files, notes ect between apps and other users on the same WiFi network and more. It looks like a square with an UP arrow, as below.



When pressed it gives you a range of options, usually your devices, people you have recently contacted by social media or SMS as well as a scrollable list of actions like Copy, Print, Save to files, Assign to contact ect, ect.

 

[IWT]

A matter of minutes before I saw your Post above, Rod; I had just done exactly what your post suggested. This is an incredibly useful method, as you stated.

AirDrop is fine, but I always have to remind myself about how to use it; whereas the “Share” button is there all the time and off you go.

Ian

 

[Marrk]

The Share button is the primary way of "sharing" images, files, notes ect between apps and other users on the same WiFi network and more. It looks like a square with an UP arrow, as below.

View attachment 40444

When pressed it gives you a range of options, usually your devices, people you have recently contacted by social media or SMS as well as a scrollable list of actions like Copy, Print, Save to files, Assign to contact ect, ect.

Understood. That's what I've been using.

 

[Rod]

Oh, and that's not working anymore?
As said, when I press it on my iPhone for eg. a photo I see my MacBook Pro and usually my wife's if it's nearby. This IS Airdrop really. If not I can send by WhatsApp or Messages by choosing the app selecting a contact and send. What happens for you?

 

[Marrk]

Oh, and that's not working anymore?
As said, when I press it on my iPhone for eg. a photo I see my MacBook Pro and usually my wife's if it's nearby. This IS Airdrop really. If not I can send by WhatsApp or Messages by choosing the app selecting a contact and send. What happens for you?

When I press the Share button and choose Mail, it seems to send the photo in the normal manner, but nothing happens, and the email never arrives, nor is there anything in the Sent file.

EDIT: The emails appear in the Sent file on the phone, not on my laptop.

 

[MacInWin]

it seems to send the photo in the normal manner,

What does that mean, please? In my system, when I send by Mail, it opens a new message where I have to put the address of the person I want to send it to and then when I click on the "send" icon, it goes. Is that happening?

 

[Marrk]

What does that mean, please? In my system, when I send by Mail, it opens a new message where I have to put the address of the person I want to send it to and then when I click on the "send" icon, it goes. Is that happening?

1) I click the Share button.
2) I am given a choice: AirDrop, Message, Mail, etc.
3) I click Mail.
4) I put my email in the To field and a subject in the Subject field.
5) I click S end.
6) I click send Actual Size.
7) Off goes the email in the normal manner.

Now, I've got a new issue. Apple did away with the button on my iPhone SE (the physical button on the physical phone doesn't work anymore) and my Touch ID. Instead, I have an icon of a button on the screen, and I have to log in. Should I start a separate thread?

 

[MacInWin]

Should I start a separate thread?

Yes

 

[MacInWin]

1) I click the Share button.
2) I am given a choice: AirDrop, Message, Mail, etc.
3) I click Mail.
4) I put my email in the To field and a subject in the Subject field.
5) I click S end.
6) I click send Actual Size.
7) Off goes the email in the normal manner.

Now, I've got a new issue. Apple did away with the button on my iPhone SE (the physical button on the physical phone doesn't work anymore) and my Touch ID. Instead, I have an icon of a button on the screen, and I have to log in. Should I start a separate thread?

On the mail issue, what happens after the mail goes off (step 7)? Does it not arrive? And when you said "I put my email...." do you mean you are trying to send this to yourself? That may be the issue, if it's not arriving. Who is your email provider?

 

[ferrarr]

4) I put my email in the To field and a subject in the Subject field.

Not the same email address that it it being sent from, correct?

 

[Rod]

EDIT: The emails appear in the Sent file on the phone, not on my laptop.

Sounds like your iPhone is not syncing with your laptop, that would explain a number of things. With the new SE you need to use Facial Recognition. You should have been prompted to do that at setup. Is the iPhone logged into your Apple account, how did you set it up?

If you go to Settings you may see a Red Dot near the top saying Setup not complete, clicking that will give you a list of tasks to complete like Apple ID, Wallet, Facial Recognition ect. You will need to complete those things.

 

[Rod]

If you think you have mucked up the setup you can always connect via USB to your Mac erase the iPhone and start over.
I you have your old phone you can back that up first and after erasing the new one create a duplicate of it by using the backup of your old iPhone to setup the new one.

 

[Marrk]

On the mail issue, what happens after the mail goes off (step 7)? Does it not arrive? And when you said "I put my email...." do you mean you are trying to send this to yourself? That may be the issue, if it's not arriving. Who is your email provider?

I send it to myself. Same email address coming and going. It does not arrive. Earthlink.

 

[Marrk]

Not the same email address that it it being sent from, correct?

Same email.

 

[Marrk]

Sounds like your iPhone is not syncing with your laptop, that would explain a number of things. With the new SE you need to use Facial Recognition. You should have been prompted to do that at setup. Is the iPhone logged into your Apple account, how did you set it up?

If you go to Settings you may see a Red Dot near the top saying Setup not complete, clicking that will give you a list of tasks to complete like Apple ID, Wallet, Facial Recognition ect. You will need to complete those things.

It's not Synched up. I have no Facial Recognition. My Setup is not complete.

Up until June 2025, everything was working fine. Then one day, the emails won't go through.

 

[Marrk]

If you think you have mucked up the setup you can always connect via USB to your Mac erase the iPhone and start over.
I you have your old phone you can back that up first and after erasing the new one create a duplicate of it by using the backup of your old iPhone to setup the new one.

My Setup is definitely incomplete. AirDrop works. Txt and email do not.

 

[ferrarr]

Same email.

try sending to a different email address, just to see.