Police agencies are warning parents about the potential safety risks of the new iPhone software feature “NameDrop,” which allows contact information sharing between iPhones.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office advised parents to review their phone settings after the iOS 17 update and provided instructions to disable the feature.
“If you have an iPhone and have completed the recent iOS 17 update, they have set a feature called ‘NameDrop’ to default to ON after completing the update,” the Oakland County sheriff’s office posted. (Trending: Donald Trump Confronts Bud Light CEO.)
This message is being sent out by local police departments warning citizens and parents about the new NameDrop feature in iOS 17.
Via: Reddit pic.twitter.com/LzvFlOvzSO
— Mr. Macintosh (@ClassicII_MrMac) November 27, 2023
“This feature allows you to share your contact information by being next to another iphone. In that section, you can also limit who can be the recipient of your AirDrop,” the post added.
“To shut this off go to Settings, General, AirDrop, Bringing Devices Together. Change to OFF.”
“And yes, we know that it allows you to share it and you can refuse but many people do not check their settings and realize how their phone works. This particular setting defaults to on rather than have you opt in.”
“And again, it is the area where you also decide who can access AirDrop.”
The post also called out a critical note for adults whose children have iPhones.
“PARENTS: Don’t forget to change these settings after the update on your children’s phones as well.”
Similar warnings have been issued by police departments across the country.
While there are privacy concerns, the feature requires the phone to be unlocked and in close proximity to another device for contact information to be shared.
Apple’s support page also provides guidance on canceling the transfer.
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