Similar close-range wireless communication features launched in recent years by other companies include Files by Google and Fast Share on Google’s Android operating service.

Chinese phone makers Vivo, Xiaomi and Oppo also offer such file transfer services that are compatible among their own devices.

The regulation says technology companies must undergo security assessment if they wish to include any features that could be used “for public expression and social mobilisation”. All users of such features must also sign up under their real names.

According to Gao Fuping, a law professor at the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, the real-name registration requirement aims to “fill a loophole” in content control when it comes to network transmission services like AirDrop, even though China rolled out the real-name system for online activities a decade ago.

“It is mainly about cybersecurity, and the core aim is to ensure all the information transmission can be traced in case problematic things happen,” Gao said.

03:59

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Launched in 2011, Apple’s AirDrop feature has been a convenient tool to share files with nearby users over Wi-fi or Bluetooth, without the need to rely on an internet connection. Images can be shared anonymously and AirDrop only shows nearby phones under their chosen nicknames, with no way for the user to identify the sender.

The draft regulation also stipulates that such “close-range mesh network” service providers “save relevant records” and report to internet regulators if they find any “illegal information” or “dissemination of harmful information”.

However, it does not elaborate what kind of information might be considered illegal or harmful.

Apple’s iPhone commands a fifth of the mobile device market share in mainland China and around half of Hong Kong’s, according to the latest data from tech market trackers CounterPoint Research.

Last November, protests broke out in multiple Chinese cities over frustrations relating to the government’s draconian zero-Covid policy of lockdowns, border closures, mass testing and strict quarantine. AirDrop was used then to share anti-government images, Western media reports said.

Although Apple did not explain why it made such a change, it came shortly after a protester – later nicknamed “bridge man” – unfurled two banners on a bridge in Beijing, calling for an end to the harsh Covid-19 policy and criticising the ruling Communist Party.

While references to the protest were blocked by internet censors, photos were reportedly shared among the Chinese public via AirDrop.

Also, during anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019, young activists used AirDrop to send out messages on the subway and in other public places, inviting the public to join the demonstrations.

07:30

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Angela Zhang, an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, said the latest tightening measures from Beijing “collectively aim to strengthen the CAC’s control over [internet] content and information dissemination”.

But she also noted that the new rules were unlikely to have a significant impact on the tech industry as a whole, as they primarily appeared to target the AirDrop function.

Apple’s mainland China headquarters did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

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The draft CAC rules also require technology companies to set “receiving off” as default for such features.

Snapshot previews must also be disabled, unless users give consent. Current AirDrop settings allow users to be sent information deemed sensitive or explicit, though they can choose to accept or decline.

In recent years, there have been calls for Big Tech companies like Apple to modify features like AirDrop to avoid their potential misuse, where offenders can easily harass users by sharing explicit images, which can be especially triggering for sexual assault survivors.