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No.
A new iPhone feature does not automatically share contact information from the user’s phone with another phone simply by bringing the devices close together.
News organizations debunked the claim after police departments in Wisconsin and around the country issued warnings in late November 2023 about the new feature, known as NameDrop.
In its instructions for using NameDrop with an iPhone, or an Apple Watch, Apple says that a user must choose to share contact information, or another contact’s information, with another device a few centimeters away.
Both users must choose to share the contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses, Apple said in announcing NameDrop as part of a software update.
The tech publication Wired reported that “consent is required throughout the process. Some random person on the street can’t just bump into you for a few seconds, and then walk away with your phone number.”
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Snopes: Is iPhone AirDrop Feature ‘NameDrop’ Dangerous, as Facebook Posts Claim?
WISN: Police warn of new iPhone feature, but is it actually dangerous?
ghostarchive.org: Village Of Mount Pleasant Police Department
Spectrum News: Apple’s NameDrop in iOS 17 prompts warnings from police
Apple Support: Use NameDrop on iPhone to share your contact info
Apple: iOS 17
Wired: No, You Don’t Need to Turn Off Apple’s NameDrop Feature in iOS 17
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