The new iPhone iOS 17 NameDrop feature is sparking safety fears, but should you be concerned?
Similar to AirDrop, the new feature, NameDrop, enables iPhone users to quickly share their contact information with nearby iPhones or Apple Watches.
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iPhone users are being warned about the new feature. It is turned on automatically with the new update, and many users are left unaware of what the feature means, or does.
How to use NameDrop
To share your contact information with new people using this feature all you need to do is hold the display of your phone “a few centimetres” from the top of the other phone or watch.
NameDrop will then appear on both screens and you are directed to select whether you want to share your contact card and receive the other person’s, or just receive the other person’s.
The main concern around the new feature revolves around the fact that it is defaulted to “on” once your phone has been updated.
According the The Project, “police are warning parents to change the setting on their children’s phones to protect their information.”
The question comes back to whether or not you should be concerned?
According to Forbes, many law enforcement agencies across America have been issuing security warnings, more specifically to parents, that the feature could ““share your contact information by being next to another iPhone.”
Forbes writes that the postings surrounding this topic “gives the impression that children are in particular danger if this setting is not changed.”
However, the article states that “despite its default on position, the NameDrop feature isn’t just going to throw your contact details at any passing person with an iPhone.”
The Washington Post also wrote that “NameDrop is quite safe.”
“The warnings about this technology are wildly exaggerated.”
How to turn off NameDrop
To turn off NameDrop, Apple users must first go to the settings app on their device.
From here, you go into general, then AirDrop where you will then find a tab called “bringing devices together”. You then press the button to turn it off.
Apart from this, the iOS 17 update also features:
- Improvement to autocorrect and dictation deliver more intelligent input
- StandBy displays glanceable information while iPhone is charging
- A new journal app
- Live voicemail transcription
- A fresh look and big updates to messages
Read the full list of updates, here.
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