Police suggest that parents disable a new iPhone feature on their kid’s iPhone،
A local Ohio police division is warning parents about a new iPhone feature that was enabled by default after updating to iOS 17.1 earlier this year. And that means this feature is probably enabled on most iPhones. Called “NameDrop,” two iPhones can exchange contact information, including phone numbers and photos, by holding their iPhone screen a few inches from the top of the other person’s iPhone and pressing the ‘screen. The information exchange will not be completed if the two iPhone units are moved away from each other and locked before the information transfer is completed.
The Middleton Police Department is telling parents they should turn off the feature on their children’s iPhones to prevent them from sharing their phone number, email address and name. To protect your children from strangers seeking to exchange information using the “NameDrop” feature, go to Settings > General > Airdrop > Collect devices and turn off the toggle switch to disable “NameDrop”.
Police in other parts of the country also warn parents against “NameDrop” including the Watertown, Connecticut police who issued a warning via Facebook. Some parents in the area said on Facebook that they recently updated their children’s iPhones but were unaware of the new feature.
Some iPhone users responded to police warnings by pointing out that contrary to police statements, the feature requires some input from users and does not automatically exchange personal contact information. As revealed in the official Apple video that accompanies this story, once the two iPhones are very close to each other, users must tap their contact details and then choose to share their phone number or e -mail (the other option is to simply receive the other person’s phone number). information), tap “Share,” then tap “Done.”
Still, it’s probably a good idea to disable the feature on your kids’ iPhone handsets.
1. Do one of the following: Share from iPhone to iPhone or Apple Watch: Hold your iPhone screen a few inches from the top of the other person’s iPhone or Apple Watch .
Share from one Apple Watch to another Apple Watch: Open the Contacts app on your Apple Watch, tap your photo in the upper right corner, tap Share, then move your watch closer to the other person’s Apple Watch.
A glow emerges from both devices and the Apple Watch vibrates to indicate a connection is established.
2. Continue holding your devices close to each other until NameDrop appears on both screens.
3. Choose to share your contact card and receive the other person’s card, or to only receive the other person’s card.
To cancel, move the two devices away from each other or lock your iPhone before the NameDrop transfer completes.
