I’ve always been a fan of AirDrop for quickly sharing files, but iOS 26 introduces a new feature called NameDrop that makes sharing contact information easier and more magical than ever before. It’s an extension of AirDrop that lets me share my contact details with another iPhone or Apple Watch user simply by bringing our devices close together. It’s a fantastic way to exchange numbers without any hassle.
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This new feature completely eliminates the awkward process of manually typing in a phone number or spelling out an email address. It uses the beautiful new Contact Posters, which I can personalize with a photo or Memoji. The whole interaction feels seamless and futuristic.
NameDrop is just the beginning; this new proximity-based sharing extends to other types of content as well. Let’s explore how to use NameDrop and what else this new technology can do.
🤝 Sharing Your Contact Poster
Using NameDrop is incredibly simple. All I have to do is bring my iPhone close to another person’s iPhone (or Apple Watch). Both devices need to be running iOS 26 (or watchOS 10) or later. When the devices detect each other, a beautiful animation appears on both screens, showing our respective Contact Posters.
At the bottom of the screen, I get two options: ‘Receive Only’ or ‘Share’. If I just want to get the other person’s details without giving them mine, I can tap ‘Receive Only’. If we both want to exchange information, we both tap ‘Share’. I can even choose exactly which phone number or email address from my contact card I want to share.
Once the transfer is complete, the information is automatically saved to my Contacts app. I’ve found this to be the fastest and most elegant way to exchange details with a new friend or colleague. It’s one of those small Apple touches that makes a big difference in everyday interactions.
📁 Beyond Contacts: Sharing Photos and Files
The same ‘bring together’ gesture that powers NameDrop also works for sharing other content via AirDrop. I found this to be a fantastic shortcut. For example, if I have a photo open on my screen and I want to share it with a friend, I can just bring our iPhones together to initiate the AirDrop transfer. There’s no need to go through the Share menu anymore.
This works for photos, videos, documents, and pretty much anything else I could previously share with AirDrop. It makes the whole process feel more direct and intuitive. I think this will quickly become the primary way I share files with people who are right next to me.
Another clever feature is that if I start a large AirDrop transfer and then have to walk away, the transfer will seamlessly continue over the internet. This ensures that even large files will finish sending, even if we are no longer in close proximity. It’s a great example of how Apple has thought through the entire user experience.
🎶 Initiating SharePlay Sessions
This new proximity gesture also extends to SharePlay. SharePlay is the feature that lets me watch movies, listen to music, or use apps together with friends over FaceTime. Now, I can start a SharePlay session with someone nearby just by bringing our iPhones together. It’s a quick and easy way to sync up our media.
For example, if my friend and I both want to listen to the same album on Apple Music, we can just hold our phones together. This will start a SharePlay session, and the music will play in perfect sync on both our devices. It’s a fun way to share experiences without any complicated setup.
Apple is making this gesture available to third-party developers as well. This means we can expect to see this functionality integrated into other apps that support SharePlay. I’m excited to see how developers will use this new, intuitive way to connect and share.
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