Several police departments in the US have recently issued warnings about Apple’s new NameDrop feature. Devices with iOS 17.1 or watchOS 10.1 can now use this feature to share contact info with other devices if held in close proximity to one another. Basically, NameDrop is to contact information as AirDrop is to photos. It has been marketed as a quick and easy way to exchange contact information with someone without having to physically hand them your phone or manually type in their info. But, the feature hasn’t been as popular as Apple may have anticipated. Just google the term “NameDrop” and the first several results are articles on how to disable the feature. Some worry about the ease with which this feature could be used to steal information, specifically between children and predators. If holding two devices close together is all it takes, how easy would it be for a predator to gain access to a child’s information?
The feature comes turned on as a default on new phones and existing phones updated to iOS 17, and if not manually turned off, may pose a threat to vulnerable individuals. Police have advised parents to disable the NameDrop feature on their children’s devices in order to maintain their safety. With the feature on, anyone who also has access to the NameDrop feature could place their device next to a child’s unlocked device and be granted access to their information including their picture, phone number, email address, and more. Though, the devices do need to both be unlocked and prompts will pop up on both screens asking to accept the exchange of information. If the prompt is not accepted, the information will not be transferred.
This new feature can be disabled in the settings app if so desired. Though the feature does have some safety aspects built in, some believe it is not completely safe for vulnerable people – enough so that law enforcement authorities are wanting to build awareness.
However, some have criticized these concerns, stating that they are not realistic and that information cannot be transferred unless both parties accept the NameDrop prompts.
Read our previous article here: Recent Scam Uses Fake Package Tracking Texts
