5 New AirDrop Features Coming in iOS 17

[MacRumors]

Since its introduction in iOS 7, AirDrop has become the favored means for iPhone users to instantly share photos, videos, documents, and more to nearby Apple devices with relative ease. Given its widespread popularity, the feature hasn't changed all that much over the years. But this year, Apple is stepping things up a gear by bringing several new capabilities to AirDrop that should make it more powerful than ever.

The following five features are coming with Apple's iOS 17 software update, which is expected to arrive in the fall. Are any of them likely to fundamentally change the way you use AirDrop? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article.

1. NameDrop

NameDrop was Apple's headline new AirDrop feature in its iOS 17 preview. Rather than type in the number of someone new to call or text them so that they have your number, NameDrop allows you to simply hold your iPhone near their iPhone to swap contact details.

When two iPhones are held close to each other, each person's Contact Poster appears (a picture of yourself that you can customize and edit, new to iOS 17). Users can then select which numbers and email addresses in their contact card that they want to share.

The feature also works between an iPhone and a nearby Apple Watch running an upcoming software update, which Apple says will be available "later this year."

2. New AirDrop Gesture to Share Content

The same iPhone-to-iPhone proximity gesture that works for NameDrop also allows users to share content like photos and files.

Simply bringing the two phones close together initiates the transfer over AirDrop, thereby removing the current requirement to manually select the person from the AirDrop device locator via the Share Sheet.

3. Continue AirDrop Over the Internet

The way AirDrop currently works, you have to stay within close proximity to the other person's device for any transfer to complete - if you leave AirDrop range, the transfer fails and the content isn't shared. This can be particularly frustrating when you're sending or receiving several large files like video content.

By contrast, if you leave AirDrop range in iOS 17, the content you are trying to share with someone continues to be sent securely, and in full quality, over the internet. The only requirement is that both you and your recipient are signed in to iCloud.

4. SharePlay Over AirDrop

Holding two iPhones close together can also be used to initiate a shared activity via SharePlay. This allows the two of you to listen to music or watch a movie together.

And thanks to a new SharePlay API, third-party developers can make their apps support the gesture, allowing you to drop into the same game together or watch the same stream while using your separate devices.

5. Explicit Image Blurring

iOS doesn't allow just anyone to share a photo or document to your device unless you actively choose to accept it. A longstanding issue with AirDrop however is that it displays a preview of the proposed shared content on your device's screen, whether or not you actually want to see it.

This had led people to be subjected to unsolicited nude and explicit images. To prevent this in iOS 17, Apple is introducing a new opt-in feature that is designed to automatically blur images sent over AirDrop that may have sensitive content like nudity. The content will be blocked, but can be viewed by tapping a "Show" button.

These Sensitive Content Warnings work like the Communication Safety functionality that Apple added for children, with all detection done on device so Apple does not see the content that's being shared.

Article Link: 5 New AirDrop Features Coming in iOS 17

 

[senttoschool]

I swear we had a feature like NameDrop from many years ago. Or am I crazy? Maybe it was a Linkedin feature or some 3rd party apps.

NameDrop seems like it's an annoying feature - potentially a privacy concern.

It's one of those features that look cool in a demo but hardly anyone will ever use it, and it'll annoy people more than it will be used intentionally.

I also don't understand the new Airdrop feature. Why would you hold the phones close to each other, which is very unnatural, instead of just selecting who to Airdrop to? These proximity things almost never work the way you want them to.

 

[henryngan2006]

I swear we had a feature like NameDrop from many years ago. Or am I crazy? Maybe it was a Linkedin feature or some 3rd party apps.

NameDrop seems like it's an annoying feature - potentially a privacy concern.

It's one of those features that look cool in a demo but hardly anyone will ever use it, and it'll annoy people more than it will be used intentionally.

I also don't understand the new Airdrop feature. Why would you hold the phones close to each other, which is very unnatural, instead of just selecting who to Airdrop to? These proximity things almost never work the way you want them to.

If proximity things almost never work the way you want them to then Apple Pay is in the *******

 

[senttoschool]

If proximity things almost never work the way you want them to then Apple Pay is in the *******

Apple Pay is great. I use it everyday. But this is different. This is iPhone to iPhone.

Heck, I can’t even get Airdrop from my friend to show up half the time while standing next to each other.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Apple should work with Google to make proximity AirDrop and namedrop function cross-platform. To fix in-person sharing of photos and contact cards like how Matter fixes peripheral set up and real-world compatibility.

Apple should similarly release iMessage clients on Windows and Android to allow for seamless personal and business chat from Apple devices to all platforms right out of the box. In both cases you’re taking an Apple feature and making it more powerful for Apple users. Yes, technically you’re giving something away but for the benefit of the Apple ecosystem experience and the world.

I gave Apple feedback two and a half years ago (several times with detailed argument) for them to give the Wireless Power Consortium their MagSafe technology and convince them to add it to their next standard, so every iPhone user could benefit from the technology in the real world. Fast food tables, hotels, Ubers, Lyfts and for personal owned vehicles. Thanks to Apple getting the message in our future potentially all vehicles will have such magical charging built in from the factory. Two up front and two in the rear ideally. Driver or passengers can snap on your phone and get that perfect connection every time. Car brands were not adding this until it was standardised. Similarly, to make other features truly useful (interacting with other people to have the feature work) it makes sense that such scenarios would require a standard such as for sharing your contact. "Here's my business card.... whoops, didn't realise you have the wrong shaped wallet."

Certain technologies work best when they become the industry standard and everyone is on the same page. In-person contact card sharing and photo sharing are two such features.

 

[syklee26]

I wish airdropping media files to Mac would move files to desired folders rather than iphoto

 

[Sippincider]

I swear we had a feature like NameDrop from many years ago. Or am I crazy? Maybe it was a Linkedin feature or some 3rd party apps.

There are/were the business card sharing apps, which work by tapping two phones together.

But yeah, both functionality and privacy concerns here. And that name: how did the gem "name drop" get anyone's approval?

 

[litmag01]

I swear we had a feature like NameDrop from many years ago. Or am I crazy? Maybe it was a Linkedin feature or some 3rd party apps.

I might be wrong but for some reason I remember this being a prime selling point for an Android style device years ago.

 

[mpmrfee]

I remember ‘name drop’ as a Blackberry feature some 20+ years ago. Seems like it was via NFC or ‘infra-red’ but can’t recall exactly. Think it was called ‘beaming’. Was a novelty at the time.

 

[fwmireault]

NameDrop seems like it's an annoying feature - potentially a privacy concern.

If you find it annoying, you don’t have to use it and can share your contact card in a more traditional way. And it’s hardly a privacy concern if you have the control to allow the sharing or not.

This is just an extra option, nobody has to use it

 

[Konigi]

How does NameDrop work when you have your AirDrop settings to "Contacts only"?
(That way I never get unsolicited drops.)

 

[Jett0516]

Hoping the new feature would set everyone for 10 years. 😑

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

Hoping the new feature would set everyone for 10 years. 😑

View attachment 2219323

Yeah, having to change it to "Everyone for 10 Minutes" every 10 Minutes is annoying.

 

[dave559]

We were all regularly quickly and easily sending our contact cards via standard Bluetooth between Nokias and many other phones back in the 90s, what's taken Apple so long?

(And, back in the 90s, everyone collaborated on making protocols like Bluetooth interoperable standards, rather than inventing their own stupid walled garden non-standards that don't work universally. That iOS doesn't also support standard Bluetooth file exchange to be able to speak to the rest of the world is one of Apple's more exasperating decisions…)

 

[4odomi]

Since its introduction in iOS 7, AirDrop has become the favored means for iPhone users to instantly share photos, videos, documents, and more to nearby Apple devices with relative ease. Given its widespread popularity, the feature hasn't changed all that much over the years. But this year, Apple is stepping things up a gear by bringing several new capabilities to AirDrop that should make it more powerful than ever.

The following five features are coming with Apple's iOS 17 software update, which is expected to arrive in the fall. Are any of them likely to fundamentally change the way you use AirDrop? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article.

1. NameDrop

NameDrop was Apple's headline new AirDrop feature in its iOS 17 preview. Rather than type in the number of someone new to call or text them so that they have your number, NameDrop allows you to simply hold your iPhone near their iPhone to swap contact details.

When two iPhones are held close to each other, each person's Contact Poster appears (a picture of yourself that you can customize and edit, new to iOS 17). Users can then select which numbers and email addresses in their contact card that they want to share.

The feature also works between an iPhone and a nearby Apple Watch running an upcoming software update, which Apple says will be available "later this year."

2. New AirDrop Gesture to Share Content

The same iPhone-to-iPhone proximity gesture that works for NameDrop also allows users to share content like photos and files.

Simply bringing the two phones close together initiates the transfer over AirDrop, thereby removing the current requirement to manually select the person from the AirDrop device locator via the Share Sheet.

3. Continue AirDrop Over the Internet

The way AirDrop currently works, you have to stay within close proximity to the other person's device for any transfer to complete - if you leave AirDrop range, the transfer fails and the content isn't shared. This can be particularly frustrating when you're sending or receiving several large files like video content.

By contrast, if you leave AirDrop range in iOS 17, the content you are trying to share with someone continues to be sent securely, and in full quality, over the internet. The only requirement is that both you and your recipient are signed in to iCloud.

4. SharePlay Over AirDrop

Holding two iPhones close together can also be used to initiate a shared activity via SharePlay. This allows the two of you to listen to music or watch a movie together.

And thanks to a new SharePlay API, third-party developers can make their apps support the gesture, allowing you to drop into the same game together or watch the same stream while using your separate devices.

5. Explicit Image Blurring

iOS doesn't allow just anyone to share a photo or document to your device unless you actively choose to accept it. A longstanding issue with AirDrop however is that it displays a preview of the proposed shared content on your device's screen, whether or not you actually want to see it.

This had led people to be subjected to unsolicited nude and explicit images. To prevent this in iOS 17, Apple is introducing a new opt-in feature that is designed to automatically blur images sent over AirDrop that may have sensitive content like nudity. The content will be blocked, but can be viewed by tapping a "Show" button.

These Sensitive Content Warnings work like the Communication Safety functionality that Apple added for children, with all detection done on device so Apple does not see the content that's being shared.

Article Link: 5 New AirDrop Features Coming in iOS 17

Good improvements 👍🏻

 

[4odomi]

How does NameDrop works when you have your AirDrop settings to "Contacts only"?
(That way I never get unsolicited drops.)

It will probably over ride it for 10 min or just that one instance

 

[4odomi]

I might be wrong but for some reason I remember this being a prime selling point for an Android style device years ago.

It's not years ago, google recently introduced Google near share, but you have to have google play services enabled and it's as usual a lot more finicky to use

 

[Torty]

Hmm I thought Apple wanted to go back wired via USB-C?

 

[jhwalker]

There are/were the business card sharing apps, which work by tapping two phones together.

But yeah, both functionality and privacy concerns here. And that name: how did the gem "name drop" get anyone's approval?

I actually thought the name was quite clever 🤷‍♂️

 

[JMO1]

So if I am playing music and want to share my contact card with someone (and hold my phone close to theirs), will it share my details or try to initiate a music SharePlay… does one have priority?

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

My only wish for AirDrops: To work efficiently & properly. 🙌🏻

 

[Motorola68000]

Apple seem absolutely determined to have ON DEVICE surveillance in whatever guise they have to use. its wrong, its utilising customers own equipment bought and paid for. By all means if its on Apple Servers/Google etc., they can peek all they like, but users devices should be sacrosanct. Its a slippery slope to having backdoors to our own devices for all and sundry. Makes a mockery of any comments about Apple privacy if ON DEVICE. Apple have already been found wanting over these issues, the same as they seem to acquiesce to whatever Chinese Government wants imposed on iPhones there.

 

[neliason]

I like the idea of sharing just the contact fields you want to share. I stopped using share contact because it didn’t allow selective fields to be shared. Reading this article made me wonder if maybe Apple had already updated contact sharing via other means to allow selective fields to be shared. And they had.

I am glad they added the ability to choose contact fields to share. I’ll start using share contacts again. But iOS is mature enough and complex enough that I am increasingly unaware of features.

 

[RobArtLyn]

I wish airdropping media files to Mac would move files to desired folders rather than iphoto

?

Everything, including media files, that I AirDrop to either of my macs goes into the Downloads folder.

 

[MacBH928]

I actually save pics to iCloud Files and then download from my mac because thats faster than using AirDrop that 75% can't detect the other device