You're attempting to send photos to your friends. Both of you use iPhones, but your AirDrop doesn't appear to be functioning. What are the TWO things that should you do?

That Bluetooth is turned off and that either device is not discoverable are two of the most common and easiest-to-fix problems with AirDrop. Making both phones a hotspot won't help with AirDrop, and turning Airplane mode on would disable all wireless communication.