How to share contact info between iPhone and Android
There is no tap-phones-together option between an iPhone and an Android phone: NameDrop and AirDrop are Apple-only, and Quick Share is Android-only. Two things do cross the platform line. Send the contact as a .vcf file through Messages, WhatsApp, or email — both operating systems open it natively — or show a contact QR code, which the built-in camera on both platforms reads without any app installed.
What works across platforms, and what doesn’t
The proximity features every phone advertises are all walled into their own ecosystem. This is the whole reason cross-platform sharing feels harder than it should:
| Method | iPhone | Android | Between them | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NameDrop | ✓ | — | — | Apple only, iOS 17+ |
| AirDrop | ✓ | — | — | Apple devices only |
| Quick Share | — | ✓ | — | Android, Chrome OS, Windows |
| .vcf file | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Opens natively on both |
| Contact QR code | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Both cameras read it |
iPhone to Android
Send your card as a .vcf file
The reliable route. Works with every Android phone, no app on either side.
- Open Contacts and tap My Card at the top — or any contact you want to pass on.
- Tap Share Contact.
- Tap the field list and untick anything you want to keep private; unticked fields are never sent.
- Choose Messages, WhatsApp, or Mail. It sends as a .vcf attachment.
- The Android recipient taps the attachment and saves it straight into their contacts app.
Do not try AirDrop or NameDrop here — neither can see an Android phone at all, which is usually what people are running into when they say sharing "doesn't work".
Android to iPhone
Share through any messaging app
Use the ordinary Share option, not Quick Share — Quick Share cannot reach an iPhone.
- Open the Contacts app and tap the contact.
- Tap Share (on a Pixel it is under the three-dot menu; on Samsung it is at the bottom).
- Choose Gmail, WhatsApp, or Messages rather than Quick Share.
- The iPhone recipient taps the .vcf attachment and chooses Add to Contacts.
In person: a contact QR code is faster than either
Everything above involves opening a share menu, choosing an app, and typing a name or number to send it to. A vCard QR code skips all of it: you show your screen, they point their camera, and the contact card appears ready to save. The camera app on both platforms reads vCard QR codes natively — there is nothing to install, and it never matters which phone anyone has.
Make one once, keep it in your photos or on your lock screen, and it works with every phone you will ever meet. You can create one in about a minute with our free vCard QR code generator — no account, nothing uploaded.
The catch nobody mentions: shared contacts go stale
A .vcf file and a static QR code are both frozen copies. Whatever you sent is what the other person keeps forever — so a new number, a new title, or a new company silently invalidates every card you have ever shared, and there is no way to reach back and correct them.
A digital business card solves this by putting a link behind the code instead of the data. The code stays valid; the details behind it update everywhere at once. That is the difference worth understanding before you print a QR code on anything — how to make a digital business card walks through the three routes and what each one costs.
Sharing within one platform
If both people are on the same platform, the built-in proximity features are faster than anything on this page. Each has its own guide:
- How to share contact info on iPhone — NameDrop, AirDrop, Share Contact, Contact Posters, and why NameDrop refuses to connect.
- How to share contact info on Android — Quick Share, Google Contacts, multi-contact exports, and where Share hides on each manufacturer's app.
Frequently asked questions
How do I share my contact info on iPhone?
The fastest way between two iPhones running iOS 17 or later is NameDrop: unlock both phones and hold the top of your iPhone a couple of centimeters from the top of theirs, then tap Share when your contact poster appears. For anything else, open the Contacts app, tap the contact (or My Card for your own details), tap Share Contact, and send it by AirDrop, Messages, or Mail. Both routes send a standard vCard that any phone can save.
What is NameDrop and what do I need for it to work?
NameDrop is the iPhone-to-iPhone contact exchange Apple added in iOS 17. Both phones need iOS 17 or later, need to be unlocked, and need Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on; you then hold the tops of the two phones nearly touching until a glow appears and your contact card slides up. It only works between Apple devices — there is no NameDrop to an Android phone — and it can be switched off under Settings, General, AirDrop, "Bringing Devices Together".
How do I share a contact on Android?
Open the Google Contacts app (or your phone maker’s Contacts app), tap the contact, tap the three-dot menu or Share button, and choose Share. Android packages the contact as a .vcf file that you can send through Quick Share to a nearby Android phone, or through any messaging app or email to anyone at all — including iPhone users, who can open the .vcf and save it directly.
How do I send my contact info from an iPhone to an Android phone?
NameDrop and AirDrop will not work — both are Apple-only — so send the contact card as a file instead. On iPhone, open Contacts, tap My Card (or any contact), tap Share Contact, and send it via Messages, WhatsApp, or email; it arrives as a .vcf attachment that Android opens straight into the contacts app. A vCard QR code does the same job in person: the Android camera scans it and offers to save the contact, with no file sent at all.
What is a .vcf file?
A .vcf file (a vCard) is the standard file format for a contact card: one small file holding a name, phone numbers, emails, company, and more. Every major contacts app — iPhone Contacts, Google Contacts, Outlook — can both export and open .vcf files, which is what makes it the reliable way to move a contact between an iPhone and an Android phone. When you "share a contact" on either platform, a .vcf is usually what actually gets sent.
Can I choose which details get shared?
Yes, on both platforms. On iPhone, when you tap Share Contact (iOS 16 and later), you can tap the field list and untick anything you do not want to send — useful for keeping a personal number private while sharing a work email. NameDrop similarly lets you choose which phone number or email goes out before you tap Share. On Android, the share sends the fields saved on that contact, so the practical approach is to keep a "work card" contact for yourself containing only what you want to hand out.
Why is NameDrop not working?
The usual causes: one of the phones is on iOS 16 or earlier, one phone is locked, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is off, or the feature is disabled under Settings, General, AirDrop, "Bringing Devices Together". The phones also need to be held top-to-top and almost touching — a few centimeters apart is already too far. And if the other phone is an Android device, NameDrop cannot work at all; send a .vcf or use a QR code instead.
How do I share contact info with someone who is not next to me?
Proximity features — NameDrop, AirDrop, Quick Share — all need the other person physically nearby, so for anyone remote you have two options. Send your contact card as a .vcf attachment through email or any messaging app, which works across every platform. Or put a contact QR code (or a link to a digital business card) in your email signature, slide decks, or website, so anyone who sees it can save your details whenever they reach it.