Staff report

ALACHUA, Fla. – Alachua Police Department has posted the following informaton to address information circulating on social media about a recent iOS update:

Apple iPhones with iOS 17.1 and watchOS 10.1 introduced a new NameDrop feature that is designed to allow users to place Apple devices near one another to quickly exchange contact information. Sharing contact information is done with explicit user permission, but some news organizations and law enforcement agencies have been sharing misinformation about how NameDrop functions.

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The information being shared is that just by bringing your phones together all of your contact information is shared, which is FALSE. The two devices must come in close contact so they are almost touching, both must be unlocked, and there is then a pop-up prompting users to share contact information or an image.

Contact information is not shared automatically, and it is a user-initiated process that requires both people exchanging information to accept the transfer. While an accidental exchange could occur, it would require a user to unlock their device and accept the sharing prompt for that to occur.

This feature is AUTOMATICALLY ENABLED with the update. We do encourage users to become familiar with this feature, and if you wish disable the feature on your or your child’s iPhone, follow these steps in Settings: General -> AirDrop -> Turn off Bringing Devices Together