If you’re concerned about your privacy, you may be looking to turn off NameDrop on your iPhone. The feature was introduced in iOS 17.1, which was released last month, and misinformation about it has been making the rounds on social media. As a result, parents are wondering if NameDrop is safe or if they should disable it on their kids’ iPhones.
We’ll explain what NameDrop does in iOS 17, how to turn it off on iPhone, and whether it’s safe to leave on below.
What does NameDrop do on iPhone?
With NameDrop, you can hold your iPhone or Apple Watch near another person’s iPhone or Apple Watch to share contact information, photos, or links. It’s meant to be an easy and seamless method of sharing personal information.
To use it:
- You must unlock your iPhone or Apple Watch.
- For iPhone:
- You must bring an intended recipient’s device within a few centimeters of yours and point the screens toward each other.
- Within a few seconds, NameDrop should appear onscreen and give you the option to exchange contact cards or receive the other person’s only.
- For Apple Watch:
- You must open the Contacts app
- Tap your picture in the upper-right corner.
- Select Share.
- Bring your watch face close to the recipient’s device.
- To cancel, you can move the devices away from each other or lock one of them.
How to turn off NameDrop on iPhone on iOS 17
Turning off NameDrop is simple:
- Enter the Settings app.
- Go to General.
- Select AirDrop
- Uncheck “Bringing Devices Together.”
Is NameDrop safe?
NameDrop is safe, and you shouldn’t worry about turning it off. Several law enforcement agencies erroneously stated variations of the following:
This makes it sound like a stranger can put their phone by yours and automatically receive your contact information. However, there are two checks against this happening:
Your phone has to be unlocked.
You must confirm the sharing via a prompt on your iPhone or by proactively choosing to share info through the Contacts app on your Apple Watch.
So, your device would have to be unlocked for a stranger to get your contact info without your permission. Of course, this makes the whole argument about NameDrop being unsafe pointless since they could just access all your data directly if they have your unlocked iPhone or Apple Watch.
