AirDrop is a useful way of sharing files between Apple devices, but it is kind of like a double edged sword because unless you remember to turn AirDrop off, you might get unwanted notifications from people you don’t know nearby who might be trying to AirDrop photos or videos to your phone.
Such was the case with a teen who was on a United Airlines flight which had to be evacuated. It seems that the teen thought it would be a funny prank to AirDrop photos of an airsoft gun to other passengers on board the flight. This led to officials evacuating passengers from the plane and screening them through security again as well as inspecting the plane.
It was later discovered that the photo was taken at another location and at a different time, and even though the teen was the one who sent the photo, they did not have the item on them at the time. However, presumably the authorities weren’t exactly thrilled by the teen’s actions and did not let them back on the flight.
It is unclear if the teen faced other repercussions as a result of their actions, like maybe being hit with a fine or maybe even arrest, but regardless, it was probably not the best thing that they could have done.