# How to share a contact on iPhone

NameDrop, the Contacts app, AirDrop and QR codes: which one to use, step by step, including how to share with someone on Android.

- Category: Digital business cards
- Reading time: 4 min read
- HTML: https://www.connectmachine.ai/blog/how-to-share-a-contact-on-iphone/

To share a contact on iPhone, hold your iPhone near the other person's iPhone and use NameDrop, or open the Contacts app, tap the contact, then tap Share Contact. NameDrop is fastest in person. Share Contact works for any contact and any app. For Android phones, send the contact file or show a QR code.

## How to share a contact on iPhone with NameDrop

NameDrop is the quickest way to swap contact details with someone standing next to you. It works between two iPhones, or an iPhone and a recent Apple Watch (Apple Watch Ultra models, Series 7 and later, and SE 2nd generation or later). It is on by default.

1. Hold the top of your iPhone a few centimeters from the top of the other person's iPhone or Apple Watch.

2. Keep the devices close until NameDrop appears on both screens.

3. Choose to share your contact card and receive theirs, or to only receive theirs.

4. If you are sharing, pick the fields you want to include (for example, one phone number and a work email), then tap Save. NameDrop remembers these fields for next time.

To cancel, move the phones apart or lock your iPhone before the transfer finishes. NameDrop only sends new contact information; it does not update a contact the other person already has.

To turn NameDrop off, go to Settings, then General, then AirDrop, and turn off Bring Devices Together. Steps from <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/namedrop-iphone-share-contact-info-iph1b6c664b7/ios" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Apple's NameDrop guide</a>.

## How to share any contact from the Contacts app

NameDrop shares your own card. To send someone else's details, for example a colleague's number to a client, use the Contacts app.

1. Open the Contacts app.

2. Tap the contact, then tap Share Contact.

3. Choose the fields you want to share.

4. Tap the share button and pick how to send it, such as Messages, Mail or AirDrop.

The other person receives a contact file they can save in one tap. Steps from <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/add-and-use-contact-information-iph3e0ca2db/ios" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Apple's Contacts guide</a>.

## How to share a contact from iPhone to Android

NameDrop only works between Apple devices, so it is no help when the other person has an Android phone. Two options work on any phone:

- <strong>Send the contact file.</strong> Use Share Contact in the Contacts app, then send it by Messages, email or WhatsApp. The Android phone opens it as a contact to save.
- <strong>Show a QR code.</strong> Any phone camera can scan a QR code, so the other person scans it and saves your details. Make one for free with the <a href="/tools/vcard-qr-code/">vCard QR code generator</a>, or use a <a href="/use-case/digital-business-card-iphone/">digital business card on your iPhone</a>, which opens as a page with your photo and links.

## Which way to share a contact should you use

| Method | Best when | The other person needs | Works with Android |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NameDrop | Both people have an iPhone (or Apple Watch) and are standing together | An iPhone or recent Apple Watch | No |
| Contacts app share (Messages, Mail, AirDrop) | Sending your own or someone else's details to a chat or inbox | Messages, email or a nearby Apple device | Yes, by message or email |
| QR code | Events, print, slides, mixed iPhone and Android groups | A phone camera | Yes |

## Share your details without exchanging phones

NameDrop and AirDrop need the other person right next to you, on an Apple device. For everything else (an event badge, a slide at the end of a talk, an email signature, a WhatsApp chat) a link or QR code does the job. A <a href="/tools/create-card/">free digital business card</a> gives you both, and the other person saves your details without installing anything.

### Sources, checked October 2026

- <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/namedrop-iphone-share-contact-info-iph1b6c664b7/ios" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Apple: Use NameDrop on iPhone to share your contact info</a>
- <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/add-and-use-contact-information-iph3e0ca2db/ios" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Apple: Add and use contact information on iPhone</a>

### Related guides

- <a href="/blog/how-to-add-business-card-to-apple-wallet/">How to add a business card to Apple Wallet</a>
- <a href="/blog/how-to-share-a-digital-business-card-without-an-app/">How to share a digital business card without an app</a>
- <a href="/use-case/share-card-on-whatsapp/">Share your card on WhatsApp</a>

## Frequently asked questions

### Why is NameDrop not working on my iPhone?

Check that Bring Devices Together is on in Settings, then General, then AirDrop, and hold the tops of the two devices a few centimeters apart until NameDrop appears. NameDrop only works with another iPhone or a recent Apple Watch, and only for new contacts, not for updating one the other person already saved.

### Does NameDrop work with Android phones?

No. NameDrop works between Apple devices only. To share with an Android phone, send your contact file by message or email from the Contacts app, or let them scan a QR code with their camera.

### Can I choose which details NameDrop shares?

Yes. When NameDrop appears, tap to edit your card, select the fields you want to include, then tap Save. The same fields are selected by default the next time.

### How do I send someone else's contact from my iPhone?

Open the Contacts app, tap the contact, tap Share Contact, choose the fields, then send it by Messages, Mail or AirDrop.

### How do I share an iPhone contact to another iPhone?

If you are standing together, use NameDrop: hold the top of your iPhone near the top of theirs until NameDrop appears. If you are not together, open the Contacts app, tap the contact, tap Share Contact and send it by Messages or Mail.

### How do I share my own contact card on iPhone?

Use NameDrop when the other person is next to you. Otherwise open the Contacts app, tap your own card (My Card) at the top of the list, tap Share Contact, choose the fields you want to include, and send it.

### What is the difference between NameDrop and AirDrop?

NameDrop swaps contact cards when you hold two Apple devices together. AirDrop sends a contact, photo or file to a nearby Apple device you pick from the share menu. Both only work between Apple devices.

### Does the other person need an app to save a contact I share?

No. A contact sent by Messages, email or AirDrop opens as a contact file that iPhone and Android can save without an extra app. A QR code opens with the phone's camera.

## Share your details with any phone

Make a free digital business card and share it by QR code or link. It opens on iPhone and Android, with nothing to install.

[Create your free card](/tools/create-card/)