Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune

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Key Takeaways

  • Stops managed apps from sharing data through AirDrop.
  • Helps protect company data from being shared externally.
  • Makes no changes when the policy is set to Not configured.
  • Works on both supervised and non-supervised devices.
  • Available on iOS 9+ and iPadOS 13.1+.

Hey, let’s discuss about How to Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune. When Treat airDrop as an unmanaged destination is set to Yes, airDrop is treated as an unmanaged location. This means managed apps are not allowed to send data using airDrop. It helps prevent company or work data from being shared outside the organization through airDrop. If this setting is Not configured (the default), Intune does nothing. AirDrop continues to work normally, and managed apps may be able to share data using airDrop, depending on other policies.

Table of Contents

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune

A key advantage of this policy is that it works on both supervised and non-supervised devices. It applies toiOS 9 and later and iPadOS 13.1 and later. This is different from completely blocking AirDrop, which requires device supervision.

How this Helps Supervised Devices

This setting works on both supervised and non-supervised devices (iOS 9+ and iPadOS 13.1+). It offers a balanced way to prevent data loss by protecting work data without fully turning off AirDrop. Unlike a complete AirDrop block which needs device supervision and hides AirDrop entirely this approach keeps AirDrop available while still keeping corporate data safe.

Create a Profile

To deploy a policy for iOS or iPadOS devices, first sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center. Go to Devices and select Configuration profiles. Then click Create profile to open the profile creation window. Under Platform, choose iOS/iPadOS, and for the Profile type, select Settings catalog. After that, click Create to begin configuring your new policy.

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Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.1
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.1

Basic Step

After this, you will be directed to the Basics tab. In this section, you need to provide a name(Force AirDrop Unmanaged) and description(To Enable Force AirDrop Unmanaged Policy) for the policy to clearly identify its purpose. Click Next to continue.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.2
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.2

Configuration Settings

Next, you will be in the Configuration settings tab. In this section, click on Add settings to open the settings picker window. In the search bar, type AirDrop or select the Restrictions category from the list. Then, select the Force AirDrop Unmanaged policy.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.3
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.3

Once you have selected this policy and closed the Settings picker. You will see it on the Configuration page. Here we have only two settings True or False. By default, it will be set to False. If you want to block these settings, click on the Next button.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.4
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.4

Allow Force AirDrop Unmanaged Policy

If we allowed or configure this policy, you can enable the force airdrop unmanaged policy by toggling the switch. Then you can click the Next button to proceed.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.5
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.5

Scope Tags

After configuring the settings, click Next. You will then reach the Scope Tag section. Scope tags help you organize and filter policies based on departments, locations, or roles. They make it easier to manage and assign policies to the right groups. If you want to add a scope tag for your policy, you can easily do that. Once done, click Next to continue further.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.6
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.6

Assignments

After the Scope Tags, you will reach the Assignment section. In this section, you can assign the policy to specific groups. Assignments ensure that the policy is applied only to the devices or users, helping maintain control and compliance. To assign a group, click Add Group and select group ( HTMD Supervised Devices – iOS iPadOS) then click Next to continue.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.7
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.7

Final Step

After Assignments, you will reach the Review + Create page. Here, you can review all the information and settings you have entered. If everything looks correct, click Create to proceed. If you need to make any changes, you can go back to the previous tabs and edit the configurations. Once you click Create, the policy will be successfully created.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.8
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.8

Monitoring Status

When the policy is created successfully, you can sync the device on the Company portal for faster deployment. After syncing is completed, you can check the status on the Intune Portal. Go to Devices > Configuration and search for the policy.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - 9
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – 9

How to Check on End User Device

Open Settings, go to General > VPN & Device Management, and tap the management profile. Open Restrictions or profile details and look for an AirDrop setting like “Force Airdrop to be unmanaged”. If you see it listed, the restriction is applied on the device.

How to Remove Assigned Group from this Policy

After creating the policy, if you want to remove the specific group that you previously selected, you can easily do that. First, go to Devices > Configuration policies. In the Configuration policy section, search and select the policy. In the Assignment section, you will find an Edit option and click on it. Then, click the Remove option.

For detailed information, you can refer to our previous post – Learn How to Delete or Remove App Assignment from Intune using by Step-by-Step Guide.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.10
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.10

How to Delete this Policy from Intune Portal

If you want to delete this policy for any reason, you can easily do so. First, search for the policy name in the configuration section. When you find the policy name, you will see a 3-dot menu next to it. Click on the 3 dots, then click the Delete button.

For detailed information, you can refer to our previous post – How to Delete Allow Clipboard History Policy in Intune Step by Step Guide.

Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune - Fig.11
Managing AirDrop as an Unmanaged Drop Target in iOS using Intune – Fig.11

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Author

Anoop C Nair has been Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for 10 consecutive years! He is a Workplace Solution Architect with more than 22+ years of experience in Workplace technologies. He is also a Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group Community leader. His primary focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM and Intune. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM,   Windows, Cloud PC, Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security, Career, etc

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