In the IOS 17 update for iPhone, Apple introduced a new feature called NameDrop. A few months after its release, American authorities advised parents of children who own iPhones to disable this functionality. However, the American police apparently do not understand how the functionality actually works.
The iOS 17 update for iPhone, released in fall 2023, brought several new features to our phones, flanked by the Apple logo.
One of these new features is: NameDrop.
What is namedrop?
This is a variant of the AirDrop feature that, as you may remember, allows us to wirelessly share documents and files to another Apple device.
In the case of NameDrop we can share our contact card with someone else.
In short, it is the equivalent of handing over our business card, but digitally, while our contact details are automatically forwarded to the other iPhone to which we accept the transfer.
However, American authorities are somewhat concerned about this functionality, especially among young people.
NameDrop: a real security risk?
This is what the specialist website Phone Arena tells us, while the Ohio State Police advises parents of children with an iPhone to deactivate this function: Namedrop.
Authorities fear that teenagers who hold their iPhone near them could give their contact information to a stranger without their consent.
The authorities’ publications on social networks quickly caused a stir and several parents quickly feared that their children could be harassed using this functionality.
IMPORTANT PRIVACY UPDATE:
If you own an iPhone and have done the recent iOS 17 update, a feature called NameDrop has been installed. This feature allows you to easily share contact information and photos to another iPhone by simply holding the phones close to each other. This feature is set to “ON” by default. To turn this feature off, go to Settings, General, AirDrop, Bring Devices Together and switch to OFF.
PARENTS: Don’t forget to change these settings on your child’s phone to ensure their safety too!
Certainly prevention has its merits and it is important to question the relevance of certain functions, but we still need to understand how it really works before we get scared!
In this case, it appears that Ohio police did not take the time to understand how the namedrop feature actually works.
Yes, the basic principle of the function is that by bringing two iPhones closer we can share our coordinates.
But… There are two important aspects that they didn’t understand.
Firstly, we do not automatically extract the person’s information because the function is activated and we bring our iPhone close to another iPhone.
Both iPhones must be unlocked for the transfer to complete. We can therefore forget about the thought of someone quickly approaching an inattentive child’s iPhone to steal their data.
Then, and here the police have stoked fears for nothing, we have to accept the passing on of information!
In order for the transfer to actually take place, the child must accept the transfer of the information via Namedrop.
In summary, police believe that merging two iPhones will automatically transfer each person’s contact information.
The reality is that merging two iPhones does enable Namedrop, but we then have to unlock our phone, click share, and then accept the transfer of the information.
You can also quickly cancel the transfer by moving the iPhones apart.
In short, the danger is much lower than publications on social networks suggest.
How to enable and disable NameDrop on your iPhone
Yes, the American police created a lot of fear for nothing. The fact is that this allowed many people to learn that the NameDrop feature was enabled by default on their iPhone with the iOS 17 update (or later).
If we are not satisfied with it, it is entirely possible to deactivate it.
So, to disable the NameDrop feature on your iPhone, you need to:
