AirDrop on Linux: What omdrop-owl Requires

The independent projects omdrop-owl and omdrop describe a way for Linux computers with supported Wi-Fi hardware to exchange files with nearby Apple devices through AirDrop. Whether your regular Wi-Fi stays connected depends on the adapter and radio mode: the documented MediaTek MT7925 setup uses Shared mode, while the listed Intel configurations use Exclusive mode and turn Wi-Fi off while the computer is visible.

How the Linux setup works

AirDrop is Apple’s nearby-device file-sharing feature. On Linux, omdrop-owl supplies the radio backend: it uses OWL to provide Apple Wireless Direct Link (AWDL), the wireless link used by AirDrop. The separate omdrop client handles device discovery and sending or receiving files. The projects describe independent interoperability work; omdrop says it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. (omdrop-owl project documentation; omdrop client documentation)

iPhoneSoft reported that developer Tristan (t4t5) published omdrop-owl as open source on October 8, 2026. (iPhoneSoft’s report)

Adapter modes and Wi-Fi behavior

The practical distinction is whether the Linux computer can remain connected to its usual Wi-Fi network while visible to nearby devices. The project lists the following tested configurations: (omdrop-owl hardware and mode list)

For the listed Intel configurations, the project’s test setups include an AX200 on a ThinkPad X1 Yoga with NixOS 26.05 and kernel 6.19.8; AX201 configurations with Ubuntu 24.04/kernel 6.8 and CachyOS/kernel 7.2.9; AX211 configurations with a ThinkPad X1/Ubuntu 26.04/kernel 7.0 and an XPS 9320/Arch/kernel 7.2.3; and Intel BE (Panther Lake) on an XPS 16 with Arch/kernel 7.2. The project also marks some other adapters as untested, opt-in, or failing, so these examples are not a blanket compatibility list.

Shared mode has a network requirement: the access point must use Wi-Fi channel 6, 44, or 149. If you want the computer to stay online while visible, check both that your adapter is the documented MT7925 and that your access point uses one of those channels.

Transfer rates reported by the project

For the MT7925, omdrop-owl reports receiving at about 1.3 MB/s and sending at about 490 kB/s. The project attributes the slower sending rate to limits on injected frames. It also gives an AX201 example: a 2.4 MB photo took 10–17 seconds to transfer. These are the project’s reported observations for those configurations, not a common benchmark across adapters. (omdrop-owl reported results)

Installing the client and choosing recipients

The documented installation order is backend first, then client: install omdrop-owl, followed by omdrop. The project describes an Arch/Omarchy package route and source-build instructions for Debian or Ubuntu. The client offers visibility controls and commands for discovering nearby recipients, sending, and receiving files. (omdrop-owl installation instructions; omdrop client controls)

Without an Apple-issued AirDrop identity, the client documentation describes receiving files and sending to Apple devices set to Everyone. Sending to devices set to Contacts Only requires an Apple-issued identity. For receiving from known senders, the client also describes sender verification.