To clarify, in iOS 18 and prior, it's going to be the proprietary WiFi protocol in AirDrop. In iOS 26 onward, it's WiFi Aware, which is an open protocol (that Apple contributes to).

For me, this mirrors the USB issue. So everyone thinks that Apple went with Lightning because they wanted to sell cables. No, Apple is on the USB committee or council or whatever TF it is. And they were always going to replace 30-pin with USB, but they were about to release the spec on USB 3 and Apple was all in... until they saw the plug. They said "hell no" and went to Intel to develop Lightning. Unfortunately Lightning still used USB 2 speeds, but it fit what they wanted.

What Apple said "hell no" to is actually USB-B. The one that looks like a B if you look at it dead on. It was Micro USB A, but with an extra plug to the side. The Galaxy S5 used this, and so did the Note 4... and not too many other phones. The gimmick was you could continue using Micro USB A, what most Android phones used, but you'd be limited in speed and charge power. The new USB would give you more of both. Also, USB B did not go away. I have an external hard drive enclosure and a USB hub that require it. They're also fairly recent, too. But it's USB-C on the other end. And they get USB 3 speeds. But I never unplug/replug them so I don't care. A lot of portable hard drives and SSDs use it on the drive side (it's still USB-C going to your phone or computer).

Apple, like other companies, is involved with a lot of tech. They don't use all of it, but they are involved with it. So when people say Apple turned their back on an open standard to make something proprietary... usually there's a reason. Oh, and yeah, they definitely wanted to sell those proprietary cables... but that's not to say they didn't have a good reason for not making a USB-B iPhone. And the thing is... that connector only lasted for one generation on Samsung. Most OEMs straight up skipped it. Many stuck with USB Micro A until USB C. Apple doesn't do things for just one generation if they can help it. (I mean, there was the smaller notch that only existed on the iPhone 13, but I think they used it on the 16e as well.)