How to share contact info on iPhone
The fastest way to share contact info on iPhone is NameDrop: on iOS 17 or later, hold the top of your unlocked iPhone against the top of the other person's unlocked iPhone and tap Share when your contact poster appears. For anyone not on an iPhone, or not standing next to you, open Contacts, tap My Card, tap Share Contact, and send it through Messages or Mail — iPhone packages it as a .vcf file that every phone can open.
First: make sure My Card is filled in
Every method below reads from one place — the contact entry iPhone treats as "you", pinned to the top of the Contacts app as My Card. If it is empty or points at the wrong entry, NameDrop will look broken and Share Contact will send the wrong details. Fixing it once fixes everything.
Set your My Card
- Open Settings › Contacts › My Info.
- Pick the contact card that is you. If one does not exist yet, create it in Contacts first.
- Open Contacts and check the card at the very top now says your name with "My Card" underneath.
- Add a work email, mobile, company and job title — these are the fields people actually want, and empty fields are simply not shared.
Which method should you use?
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Both of you have an iPhone, standing together | NameDrop | Fastest — no app, no menu, two seconds |
| Apple devices nearby, but not iOS 17 | AirDrop | Works on any modern iPhone, iPad, or Mac |
| They are on Android | Share Contact → Messages | Sends a .vcf, which Android opens natively |
| They are not with you | Share Contact → Mail | Or a QR code they can scan any time |
| A room full of people, repeatedly | A contact QR code | One code, any phone, no share menu at all |
The four ways to share a contact on iPhone
The first two only work between Apple devices. The last two work with anyone, on any platform — which is why they are the ones worth learning properly.
1. NameDrop — iPhone to iPhone, iOS 17 and later
Apple-only. Both phones need iOS 17+, both unlocked, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on.
- Hold the top of your iPhone a centimeter or two from the top of the other person’s iPhone.
- Keep them there until both screens glow and your contact poster slides up.
- Tap Share to exchange details both ways, or Receive Only to just take theirs.
- Before sending, tap the phone number or email shown to choose exactly which details go out.
NameDrop only starts a transfer when both phones are awake and nearly touching — it cannot be triggered from across a table, and it cannot reach an Android phone.
2. AirDrop a contact — iPhone, iPad, or Mac
Apple-only. The recipient needs AirDrop receiving switched on.
- Open the Contacts app (or the Contacts tab in the Phone app).
- Tap the contact you want to send — tap My Card at the top for your own details.
- Tap Share Contact, then choose AirDrop and tap the person’s device.
- They tap Accept and the contact opens ready to save.
If their device does not appear, ask them to open Control Centre and set AirDrop to "Everyone for 10 Minutes" — the default of Contacts Only is a chicken-and-egg problem when you are not in each other's contacts yet.
3. Share Contact — works with anyone, any platform
- Open Contacts and tap the contact (or My Card for yourself).
- Tap Share Contact.
- On iOS 16 and later, tap the field list first and untick anything you want to keep private — a personal number, a home address.
- Choose Messages, Mail, WhatsApp, or any other app. It sends as a .vcf file that both iPhone and Android open natively.
4. Share via Messages
- In a conversation, tap the + (or the apps row), then choose Contacts.
- Pick the contact card to attach and send it.
- The recipient taps the card and chooses Create New Contact — this works whether they are on iPhone or Android.
Contact Posters: what they change, and what they don’t
iOS 17 added the Contact Poster — the full-screen card that appears on someone else's phone when you call, and the image NameDrop shows during an exchange. Set one up under Contacts › My Card › Contact Photo & Poster.
It is worth knowing what it is not: a Contact Poster changes how your card looks, not what data is sent. The fields that travel are still the ones on My Card. Per contact, you can set it to share automatically, always ask, or never share — under Contact Photo & Poster › Name & Photo Sharing.
If NameDrop isn’t working
Work down this list — in practice it is almost always the first item.
- The phones are too far apart. They need to be nearly touching, top edge to top edge. A few centimeters is already too far.
- One phone is locked. Both need to be awake and unlocked.
- One phone is on iOS 16 or earlier. NameDrop does not exist before iOS 17.
- Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is off. NameDrop needs both, even though it is not sending over Wi-Fi.
- The feature is switched off: Settings › General › AirDrop › "Bringing Devices Together".
- The other phone is an Android. NameDrop cannot reach it — send a .vcf or show a QR code instead.
Sharing from an iPhone to an Android phone
Neither proximity feature crosses the platform line — NameDrop and AirDrop are both Apple-only, and there is no tap-phones-together option between an iPhone and an Android phone. What does cross is the vCard: use Share Contact and send the .vcf through any messaging app, or show a contact QR code that the Android camera reads natively.
Full walkthrough: sharing contacts between iPhone and Android.
When a QR code beats every method above
Every method on this page assumes the other person is either next to you or already in a conversation with you, and that your details will never change. A contact QR code covers the cases they cannot:
- People who are not near you — a QR code in an email signature, slide deck, or website shares your details with anyone who sees it, at any time.
- Events and conferences — one code on your lock screen replaces working through the share menu with every new person, whatever phone they carry.
- Printed materials — a business card or flyer cannot AirDrop. A printed QR code is the only way paper puts a contact into a phone.
- Details that change — a .vcf or static QR is frozen the moment you send it. Put a link behind the code instead and you can change job, number, or company without reprinting anything.
You can make one in about a minute with our free vCard QR code generator — no account, nothing uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I share a contact card on iPhone?
Open the Contacts app, tap the contact you want to send — or tap My Card at the top for your own details — then tap Share Contact. Choose which fields to include, and pick AirDrop, Messages, Mail, or any other app. iPhone sends the contact as a standard .vcf vCard, which means the person receiving it can save it whether they are on an iPhone or an Android phone.
How do I share my own contact info rather than someone else’s?
Your own details live in a special entry called My Card, pinned to the top of the Contacts app. If it is missing or empty, go to Settings › Contacts › My Info and pick the contact card that is you. Every sharing method on iPhone — NameDrop, AirDrop, Share Contact, Contact Posters — reads from My Card, so filling it in properly once fixes all of them at the same time.
What is NameDrop and what do I need for it to work?
NameDrop is the iPhone-to-iPhone contact exchange Apple introduced in iOS 17. Hold the top of your unlocked iPhone a couple of centimeters from the top of the other person’s unlocked iPhone, wait for both screens to glow, then tap Share to swap details or Receive Only to just take theirs. Both phones need iOS 17 or later, both need to be unlocked, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi both need to be on.
Why is NameDrop not working on my iPhone?
The five usual causes, in order of how often they are the problem: the phones are not close enough (they need to be nearly touching, top to top), one phone is locked, one phone is on iOS 16 or earlier, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is switched off, or the feature is disabled under Settings › General › AirDrop › "Bringing Devices Together". If the other phone is an Android device, NameDrop cannot work at all — it is an Apple-only feature.
Can I choose which details get shared?
Yes. When you tap Share Contact on iOS 16 or later, tap the field list before sending and untick anything you want to keep private — a personal mobile number, a home address. NameDrop asks the same question in a different way: tap the phone number or email shown on screen before you tap Share to pick exactly which ones go out. The unticked fields are never transmitted, not merely hidden.
What is a Contact Poster?
A Contact Poster is the full-screen card iOS 17 shows on someone else’s phone when you call them, and the image NameDrop displays when you exchange details. You design it under Contacts › My Card › Contact Photo & Poster. It is presentation only — it changes how your card looks, not what data is sent — and you choose per contact whether to share it automatically, always ask, or never share it.
How do I share a contact from an iPhone to an Android phone?
NameDrop and AirDrop are both Apple-only, so neither will work. Use Share Contact instead and send the card through Messages, WhatsApp, or email: it arrives as a .vcf attachment that Android opens straight into its contacts app. In person, a contact QR code is faster still — the Android camera scans it natively and offers to save the contact, with no file and no app on either side.
How do I share a contact with someone who is not next to me?
NameDrop and AirDrop both need the other person physically nearby, so for anyone remote you need a card that travels. Send your My Card as a .vcf through email or a messaging app, or put a contact QR code — or a link to a digital business card — in your email signature, slide decks, and website, so anyone can save your details at any time without you being in the room.
Why does the contact I shared show the wrong job title later?
Because a .vcf file and a static QR code are both frozen copies. Whatever you sent is what the other person keeps, so when you change roles, numbers, or companies, every card you have ever shared silently goes stale. A digital business card avoids this by putting a link behind the code instead of the data itself — the link stays the same and the details behind it update everywhere at once.