The release of iOS 17 brings an innovative new contact sharing feature called NameDrop. NameDrop allows iPhone users to instantly share their digital contact information with others nearby. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to set up and use contact sharing with NameDrop on iOS 17.
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Introduction
NameDrop provides a seamless way to exchange contact details that is faster and more convenient than manually adding contacts. With just a few taps, you can share selected contact fields like phone numbers, email addresses, and social media profiles.
Sharing contacts via NameDrop only requires two iPhones with iOS 17, taking advantage of new ultra wideband chip technology. Ultra wideband allows directionally precise exchange of information between devices at close range through spatial awareness.
Below are some key benefits of using NameDrop for contact sharing on iOS 17:
- Speed and convenience – Near-instant contact sharing that takes seconds
- Control over shared data – Select exact contact details you want to share
- No typing required – Contacts transfer digitally via UWB between devices
- Enhanced privacy – Share only with people in close physical proximity
Now let’s look at how to enable contact sharing with NameDrop.
Enabling Contact Sharing
Enabling NameDrop contact sharing only takes a few quick settings changes.
Follow these steps:
- Open the Contacts app
- Select your profile
- Enable Contact Sharing
- Choose sharing permissions
You’ll then be ready to start sharing contacts with NameDrop. We’ll cover the sharing process itself later in this guide.
First though, let’s look at each of those initial setup steps in more detail:
1. Open the Contacts App
Just open the Contacts app on your iPhone as usual. This is the app that contains all your stored contacts.
Your contacts will be displayed in alphabetical order by first name.
2. Select Your Profile
Along the top of the screen, tap on your name to open your contact card. This contains all the details stored in your contact profile.
3. Enable Contact Sharing
With your profile open, you’ll see a new “Share Contacts” option. Tap this to begin setting up NameDrop.
This will launch the contact sharing setup screen. Toggle the switch at the top to enable contact sharing.
4. Choose Sharing Permissions
Next, you can customize exactly what contact details you want to make shareable with NameDrop. This gives you control over your privacy.
Tap the arrow icon next to each contact field to enable or disable sharing for that piece of information.
For example, you may only want to share your phone number and email address – not your home address. The sharing permissions are very flexible.
Once you’ve selected the details to share, tap “Done” to complete the NameDrop setup.
You’ll see a “Share Contacts” badge on your contact profile when sharing is enabled. Now let’s look at the actual sharing process…
Sharing Contacts with NameDrop
After enabling contact sharing as covered above, you only need to complete 3 steps to share your details with someone else using NameDrop:
- Select the contact you want to share
- Choose sharing method
- Hold phones together briefly
Let’s go through what’s involved in each step:
1. Select the Contact
Open your Contacts app and tap your profile to open your card. This is the contact information you configured to share earlier.
Then tap the “Share Contact” button.
2. Choose Sharing Method
A sharing options screen will appear. Select NameDrop and tap “Done” to prepare for sharing.
This will open up the NameDrop interface.
3. Hold Phones Together
The next step is to physically hold your phone and the recipient’s phone close together for a couple seconds. Your contact posters will appear on both screens.
Once contact sharing completes, the recipient’s phone will save a new contact with the details you shared via NameDrop.
That’s all there is to it! NameDrop provides effortless iOS contact sharing that taps into spatial and directional awareness powered by the ultra wideband chip.
Now let’s review some tips for troubleshooting issues…
Troubleshooting NameDrop Issues
NameDrop contact sharing relies on new ultra wideband technology, so you may occasionally run into bugs or problems.
Here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Check if both devices are updated to iOS 17
- Enable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on both phones
- Move away from other devices or obstructions
- Disable VPNs or other connectivity services
- Reset Network Settings under General Management
If NameDrop problems persist on your iPhone, you can contact Apple Support for further assistance.
That covers the basics for getting started with NameDrop for quickly sharing contacts on iOS 17!
Conclusion
NameDrop provides iPhone users with an innovative new way to instantly exchange digital contacts using spatial awareness technology. With just a few taps and by briefly holding two phones in close proximity, you can now share contacts faster than ever before.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Enable NameDrop under your own Contact profile
- Select specific contact details you want to make shareable
- Simply hold your phone and the recipient’s phone together for 1-2 seconds to transfer your info
- Customizable to meet your privacy preferences
- Reliant on new ultra wideband chip for directional exchange
NameDrop for effortless contact sharing is just one of many useful additions coming in iOS 17. The new spatial features open up exciting possibilities for location-aware apps and services down the road.
So once you upgrade to iOS 17, make sure to try out sending your digital business card to new networking contacts with the NameDrop feature!
| Feature | Description |
| NameDrop | Contact sharing technology using ultra wideband chip for spatial awareness between devices |
| Custom Shareable Fields | Select exactly which contact details to share (phone, email, etc) |
| Spatial Detection | Detects proximity and orientation between two phones |
| Easy Setup | Just a toggle switch under Contact profile to enable |
| Privacy Controls | Full control over shared contact data |