A post shared on Facebook claims a new iPhone feature called NameDrop shares contact information with strangers involuntarily.  

Verdict: False

The claim is inaccurate. iPhone users must approve of a prompt to initiate the transfer of information, according to the Apple Support website.

Fact Check:

Apple is urging all iPhone users to update their devices to iOS 17.1.2, saying the update “provides important security fixes,” according to The Hill. The update is meant to fix with Apple’s internet browser engine, saying that browsing web content could result in the sharing of sensitive information, CBS News reported.

A Facebook post claims a new iPhone feature is sharing personal information with strangers without users’ consent. The post shared this information in a screenshot of another social media post making the claim.

“If you have an iPhone and have done the recent iOS 17 update. They have set a new feature called NameDrop to default to ON. This allows the sharing of contact info AND PICS just by bringing your phones close together. Even with strangers,” the post reads in part. “To shut this off go to Settings, General, AirDrop, Bringing 200 Devices Together. Change to OFF.”

The claim is inaccurate, however. Apple Support details the steps needed to go through with NameDrop. The site says that to share contact information with NameDrop, users must approve of a prompt after holding two devices together. It also says that this process can be cancelled by moving the iPhones away from each other or pressing the lock button.  (RELATED: No, China Has Not Banned All iPhones)

No contact information is shared automatically through NameDrop, Apple confirmed in an email to Check Your Fact.

Check Your Fact has reached out to multiple cybersecurity experts for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from any of these sources.