Apple Announces New 'NameDrop' Feature for Sharing Between iPhones

As part of iOS 17, Apple at WWDC 2023 announced a new AirDrop-related feature called NameDrop, a potentially more convenient way of sharing things with another iPhone owner that's in the same physical location as you.

namedrop
With NameDrop, two people only need to bring each of their iPhones close together, and one can share a file or photos with the other person automatically. NameDrop supports the sharing of contact information (users can select which numbers and email addresses to share), and the feature also works between an ‌iPhone‌ and an Apple Watch as long as they are running up-to-date software.

With the same close-contact phone gesture, you can also share content or start SharePlay to listen to music, watch a movie, or play a game while in close proximity between ‌iPhone‌ devices, according to Apple.

NameDrop is compatible with iPhones running iOS 17 and will be supported on Apple Watch models running an update that Apple says will be available "later this year."

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Tag: AirDrop
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...
iPhone 17 Base Model Rumored to Come in New Green and Purple Colors Feature

iPhone 17 Base Model Rumored to Come in New Purple and Green Colors

Friday June 20, 2025 7:24 am PDT by
Apple is testing new Purple and Green color options for the iPhone 17 base model, according to new information shared by a leaker known as Majin Bu. In a blog post today, Majin Bu said that only one of the two new colors might make the final cut, with Purple apparently being the more likely choice. The base model iPhone 16 is available in five colors: Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, and...

Top Rated Comments

SDJim Avatar
27 months ago
Pepperidge Farms remembers...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bump_(application)
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DMG35 Avatar
27 months ago
I really likes all of these new features.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFan782040 Avatar
27 months ago
iOS 17 seems like a very small upgrade, though these are nice changes.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blazerunner Avatar
27 months ago
I feel like this has been available on android for years...?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
27 months ago

iOS 17 seems like a very small upgrade, though these are nice changes.
Hoping the small features additions means they'll focus more on improving overall performance of iOS 17 instead.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
buck1127 Avatar
27 months ago
No CarPlay updates :(
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)