NameDrop in iOS 17 is not a privacy nightmare – here’s how to control it

Two hands holding iPhones next to each other using the NameDrop feature in iOS 17.

Apple's new NameDrop contact-sharing feature is powerful enough to enable frictionless contact information sharing, but recent reports suggesting that it's a privacy nightmare could be misleading. You just need to know how to control and use it.

After NameDrop... er, dropped with iOS 17.1 earlier this month, users of the best iPhones that automatically updated to the new feature suddenly had the ability to share contact information simply by holding their phones (and best Apple Watches running watchOS 10.1) within a few millimeters of each other.