Making its debut with iOS 17, Apple introduced an innovative feature during its 2023 Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC): NameDrop. As an addition to the well-known AirDrop, NameDrop is a refreshing and simple approach when it comes to sharing contact information, business cards, social handles, or phone numbers with other iPhone users near you.

NameDrop in Action: How Does It Work?

The concept of NameDrop is rather straightforward. As long as you and another person each have an iPhone, all you have to do is bring your phones near each other. The proximity allows one of you to share a beautiful new contact card with the other instantaneously. And NameDrop allows you to choose what you want to share — your avatar, contact photo, name, phone numbers, email addresses, social profiles, and more. An additional selling point of this feature is that it works seamlessly between an iPhone and an Apple Watch, provided both devices are up-to-date.

NameDrop is Apple's seamless replacement for exchanging business cards, social handles, and more. It's the easiest way to send other people your contact info — and soon it'll be available to everyone.

Availability of NameDrop: When Can We Expect It?

NameDrop compatibility extends to iPhones with iOS 17, and it will be supported by Apple Watch models running an upcoming update. According to Apple, this update will be launched "later this year."

Eligibility for NameDrop: What Devices Support NameDrop?

NameDrop is designed for newer iPhone models with an NFC chip, specifically for models iPhone XR or newer that run on the iOS 17 Beta. However, if you cannot find the feature on your eligible iPhone, you might need to check if the other iPhone user has also installed iOS 17 Developer Beta 2, if AirDrop has been enabled for everyone, and if the iPhones are in close proximity to each other.

NameDrop Compatibility: Does It Work with Android Phones?

Presently, NameDrop does not extend its features to Android phones. It is exclusively designed for Apple products, specifically iPhones and the Apple Watch, running on the software versions mentioned earlier.

Flexibility with NameDrop: Can I Choose What to Share?

With NameDrop, you have the power to choose what information you share. This means you can select which phone numbers and email addresses you want to share with someone else. Once the information has been shared, you can tap "Done" to save the received contact details on your device, and even choose to edit the received contact.

Here at Clay, we're working on a few exciting Namedrop updates — stay tuned 😉

Privacy and Security: Is NameDrop Safe?

Apple's reputation stands on the safety and privacy of user data. NameDrop only requires proximity to establish a connection between two iPhones. It does not use the Internet, thereby minimizing data exposure risk. As is standard with Apple, data shared using NameDrop is encrypted for further protection.