You probably think of AirDrop as something you use to exchange photos and files with your iPhone using Apple's wireless transfer feature. airDrop is designed so you don't have to think about that. airDrop in iOS 17, several new features aimed at making file transfers easier and increasing the number of things you can share.

Simply put, the biggest addition to AirDrop in iOS 17 concerns the new Contacts Poster feature that Apple added as part of its revamped phone features in this iOS update.NameDrop allows users to send a new contact card to other nearby iPhone and Apple Watch users, adding the ability to easily pass a new contact card to them.

But NameDrop is not the only change Apple is making to AirDrop in iOS 17. More intelligent proximity sharing and the ability to complete large file transfers even after leaving the location have also been added.

The following is an overview of what AirDrop in iOS 17 will be able to do. However, the public beta is scheduled to be released in July, and bold iPhone owners should be able to try out the AirDrop improvements - and other iOS 17 features - prior to the full release of the software update this fall.

NameDrop provides a new way to pass contact information to other iPhone users - perhaps even those running iOS 17. iOS 17's NameDrop feature allows you to simply place your phone next to theirs, and Apple You can also pass contact information to your Watch. (Specifically, NameDrop works with both Apple Watch Series 6 and later models and the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE generations. These watches will likely need to run the watchOS 10 update to be released later this year.)

You have some control over which contacts are shared with NameDrop, as you can select specific numbers and addresses. You can also choose whether to share your own contact data or receive contacts from the other party.

In addition to phone numbers and addresses, NameDrop can also share contact posters created in the iOS 17 Phone app. This is a full-screen contact card created using a photo or notepad that appears on incoming calls and in the Contacts app.

It's the same concept of proximity sharing used in NameDrop, where you can simply move your iPhone closer to their iPhone and pass something else to them. it's unclear how this will work in Apple's demo at WWDC2023. touting the iPhone. Will you be prompted whenever the contact you are touting is in your vicinity, or will you need an action to trigger proximity sharing? But regardless, you can use this method to transfer photos and other files.

In addition, it is possible to trigger a SharePlay session through proximity sharing, and the menu will display links to messages with nearby contacts, FaceTime, and media sharing. Developer tools allow app makers to incorporate SharePlay proximity sharing into their software, and we expect to see more support for this feature when iOS 17 arrives in the fall.

The days of sitting around waiting for a large file transfer via AirPlay to move from one phone to the next are coming to an end. iOS 17 allows you to share many photo and video files, and if you or the other person has to move, complete the transfer over the Internet. Note that for this AirDrop feature to work, two people must be signed in to iCloud.

The AirDrop changes coming in iOS 17 are certainly not earth-shattering, but they may not even be the most notable enhancement Apple is making to iPhone software this year. Still, Apple's wireless transfer feature seems to be more useful, especially when it comes to sharing contact information. And those who share large files will appreciate the ability to complete large transfers even after they have to leave the area.

I'm eager to try proximity sharing on iOS 17 to see how seamless this improved version of AirDrop is. iOS 17's public beta is scheduled to be released in a few weeks, so I'll try it then.