iOS 26 to let third applications build their own air alternative

Apple’s tight grip on local wireless sharing finally relaxes, even if it is rather reactive. With iOS 26, the developers obtain a new API which allows third-party applications to discover and connect devices nearby via Wi-Fi, without the need for an internet connection. Here’s how it will work.

Conscious Wi-Fi

As observed by ihelpbrThe heart of this news comes down to Wi-Fi informed, which will allow the devices near to be and create a direct connection between peers on Wi-Fi, even when they are not on the same network.

It is the same underlying concept that Apple’s air platform has been used for years, except that now it is open to everyone. Here is Apple Swatank Saha on the new feature:

With Wi-Fi informed, you can unlock new experiences and allow your applications to discover and connect in a transparent way to the nearby devices. Some examples include: multimedia streaming, high -speed file transfer, accessory control, screen sharing and, if necessary, you can do all this simultaneously.

During the WWDC25 session “Connectivity of SuperChat devices with Wi-Fi», Saha has shown how it works in practice: you open an application on both devices, get a nearby peer list and press to launch a connection. There is even an optional confirmation code stage, just like with Airdrop, to make sure you log into the right device.

Not only for file transfers

Although the fast local file sharing is the case of obvious use, Apple launches this API as a tool for much more than that. Developers could use it for essentially everything that benefits from a quick local connection without needing cloud, including screen sharing, streaming supports between devices and updating or configuring accessories such as smart glasses or drones.

And because Wi-Fi Canger is an open standard, applications are not limited to Apple-Apple transfers. Theoretically, a developer could create something that works between iPhones and Android devices performing the same application. It is not Airdrop for Android, but it is the closest that Apple allow this type of multiplatform flow.

Reading between lines (regulatory)

Officially, Apple does not enter this passage to regulatory requests, but the time can hardly be called a coincidence. The European Union has pushed Apple to make iOS more interoperable with the equipment and third -party services, and specifically the local sharing reported as an area which must open.

This API allows Apple to check this box, but without really cracking Airdrop itself.