A new NameDrop-like feature in iOS 17.2 uses NFC to enable you to quickly share eligible Wallet passes by bringing two iPhones together.
The feature uses the iPhone’s NFC radio to determine when two devices are held in close proximity to one another to trigger the sharing interface.
The iOS 17.2 release notes explain that the update brings “expanded contact sharing options and the ability to share boarding passes, movie tickets and other eligible passes” by bringing two iPhones together.
Actually, you must first select an eligible pass in the Wallet app and then bring the devices together, which will reveal a big Share button at the bottom of the screen. Both iPhones must use iOS 17.2 or later for this to work.
iOS 17.2: Share Wallet passes by bringing iPhones together
If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. NameDrop, Apple’s new contact-sharing experience available with iOS 17.1 and later, is also triggered by holding your iPhone a few centimeters from the top of another.
This nifty NFC trickery is used elsewhere, like in the AirDrop interface. For example, you can initiate sharing via AirDrop or start a SharePlay session over AirDrop by bringing two iPhones close together.
Whether you’d like to exchange contact information, use AirDrop or share Wallet passes, bringing two iPhones near one another won’t automatically trigger anything. It’s just the start of the process.
After invoking the sharing interface, you must still manually choose the action, like sending your contact card or receiving data from another device.
This is a great way to share passes when the person you want to share with is in your vicinity. Other ways of sharing passes via the Wallet app’s Share button, like AirDrop, Messages, and more, still work.
The misinformation about how NameDrop works
But some people aren’t convinced that NFC sharing features were designed to protect their privacy, and who can blame them; ill-informed police departments and irresponsible bloggers spread misinformation about how NameDrop works.
NFC-style sharing is on by default after installing iOS 17. To disable it, switch off the Bringing Device Together option in Settings > General > AirDrop.
Other new features in iOS 17.2
iOS 17.2 brings more than a dozen new features and improvements.
Aside from Apple’s new journaling software, iOS 17.2, iPadOS 17.2 and macOS Sonoma 14.2 pack enhancements across Messages, Weather, Music and other stock apps, the ability to record spatial videos on the iPhone 15 Pro models, expanded content filters and more. The updates are launching later in December.