NameDrop: the Android equivalent of this ultra-practical function is on track

You probably know NameDrop, this function integrated into iPhones since iOS 17. The version of Apple’s operating system, inaugurated in 2023, indeed includes an option derived from AirDrop (the emblematic contactless file sharing option) and intended to share a contact card by bringing two iPhones close to each other. No equivalent exists on Android… at least, for the moment. Because the latest version of Google Play Services, reviewed by Android Authoritypoints to the launch of a similar feature.

The version in question, v25.46.31 of Google Play Services, allows us to go further than a beta (v25.44.32) which revealed the existence of functions called “Gesture Exchange” And “Contact Exchange Activity”. Android Aythority has indeed managed to activate the function in question, and reveals screenshots of it. The Contacts Exchange function, in plain French, allows you to choose the elements to share: it is possible to provide a photo, a telephone number and an email address, each item can be (de)selected; it is also possible to opt for “Receive only”in which case the user does not share any information, but may receive contact from another person. Once the contact is received, simply click on the “Save” button to save the file.

The technical functioning of the option remains of course to be determined, and it is more than likely that Google will use NFC to connect two smartphones, but also Bluetooth, to authorize the transfer of profile photos. We can hope to discover the option with the first Developer Previews of Android 17, the first previews of which should be published within a few weeks, if Google keeps its usual calendar.