Apple tweaks AirDrop feature on iPhones in China after "bridge man" protests against Xi Jinping

China's "bridge man" who had put banners on the Sitong bridge on Beijing's Third Ring before the 20th Party Congress had kicked off a wave of dissenting voices calling for the removal of Chinese President Xi Jinping.China's online censorship is well known, however, Apple's AirDrop feature on its iPhones provided a loophole to the Chinese to bypass these censorships.

AirDrop allows the quick exchange of files like images, documents, or videos between Apple devices. This feature was extensively used by dissenting voices in China to oppose Xi's government.People used the AirDrop feature to spread messages which condemned the Chinese Communist party in crowded public spaces.

Under the new update of the AirDrop function which rolled out on Thursday, iPhone owners in China now get only a 10-minute cap on receiving files from "everyone". They will also get an option to choose whether they want to receive files from everyone, no one, or only from their contacts.

Previously there was no bar on the time duration for receiving files. As per the new update, now once the 10 minutes window cap expires, the iPhone user will only be able to receive the files from his own contact book.

Apple did not issue any statement clarifying why the changes were introduced only in China. Apple, however, said that it plans to roll out the new AirDrop setting globally next year. As per the company, these updates will help Apple to mitigate unwanted file sharing.

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