Apple took to the stage at WWDC yesterday to share all the new features coming to iOS 17 in 2023.
One new feature coming to the iPhone later this year is NameDrop. Scroll down to learn everything you need to know about the latest big AirDrop update.
What is NameDrop in iOS 17?
NameDrop is a new feature integrated into AirDrop on iOS 17. NameDrop allows users to swap contact information amongst each other more seamlessly than ever by bringing two iPhones together.
That means you no longer need to search for your friends on AirDrop and scroll through every Apple device in close proximity to find the person you’re looking for when they’re standing directly in front of you.
Not only that, but your contact information will look snazzier than ever with personalised contact posters. This is another new Apple feature that allows you to create an image with your face (or Memoji) and name in a mix of fonts and colours. The poster will then live in your contact card and subsequently pop up on your friend’s iPhone whenever you call.
You can then choose which phone numbers and email addresses you’d like to share along with your poster.
The gesture that allows you to position two phones next to each other to transfer anything over AirDrop is actually a new one for iOS, and contacts aren’t the only thing you can send over AirDrop simply by holding two iPhones together.
Apple also revealed that the same gesture can now be used to share photos, listen to music via SharePlay, watch movies and play games while in close proximity with another iPhone user.
If the idea behind NameDrop sounds familiar, that’s probably because NFC contactless technology has made it possible for many Android phones to share content by touching two phones together for years. However, the feature is still new for Apple’s AirDrop technology.
When is NameDrop coming to iOS 17?
iOS 17 doesn’t begin rolling out to the public until later this year. That means you’ll need to wait a little longer to start networking and transferring your new contact posters via AirDrop.
The iPhone typically launches with the latest version of iOS around September/October time, so we expect iOS 17 (and NameDrop) to become available alongside the iPhone 15 this autumn.
NameDrop will also be available on the Apple Watch with the feature also rolling out later this year.
