Last week, I attended a corporate seminar and noticed that everyone there was networking and exchanging contact details via AirDrop. The reason is that it is easier, faster, and seamless than manually entering someone's number on your iPhone. All it needs are two devices with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled. To learn how to AirDrop contacts from iPhone to iPhone, read on.
How to AirDrop Contacts from iPhone to iPhone (Step-by-Step Methods)
Whether it's a single contact or your entire phonebook, we will go over all the possible methods to help you AirDrop contacts from one iPhone to another with detailed step-by-step instructions.
Transfer a Specific Contact Using AirDrop
This is the most basic method and will work on all iPhones. Whether you have a really old one or the latest iPhone 17, here's how you can share a single contact from one iPhone to another with AirDrop:
- First, turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both iPhones.
- Then, pull down the Control Centre and long-press the Network panel.
- Here, tap on the AirDrop icon and select Everyone for 10 Minutes.
- Now, on the sending iPhone, open the Contacts app and select the contact you want to share.
- Once the details of this contact open, scroll down and tap on Share Contact.
- Choose all the details you want to share and tap on the tick sign at the top right.
- In the share sheet, select AirDrop and tap on the receiving iPhone when it appears.
- On the receiving iPhone, tap on Accept.
The contact will instantly save on the other device. However, you cannot AirDrop all contacts with this method. Besides from an iPhone, you can now also AirDrop files from Android to iPhone if you own a Pixel 10 or a Samsung Galaxy S26.
AirDrop Your Personal Contact Details via NameDrop
In September 2023, Apple introduced a better way to seamlessly exchange contact details from iPhone to iPhone via a feature called NameDrop. It is essentially AirDrop triggered by proximity with a really cool animation. But it only works on devices running iOS 17 or later. This includes older models like the iPhone X and iPhone SE (2020) and goes up to newer models like the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air.
- Make sure both iPhones have AirDrop enabled.
- Now, bring the top sides of both iPhones close together.
- You will see the AirDrop animation occur, and the two iPhones will receive each other's contact cards.
- You can then choose to save the other person's contact details on your iPhone.
AirDrop All Your iPhone Contacts to Another iPhone
AirDrop doesn't officially support sending all contacts at once. But if you are moving to a new iPhone and have already depleted your free iCloud storage, then here's what you can do to transfer multiple contacts at once with AirDrop.
- Open the Contacts app on your iPhone and tap on the back button on the left.
- In the Lists page, long-press on All Contacts and select Export.
- Select the details you want to export by checking their relevant boxes and then tap on the tick sign at the top right.
- Now, tap on AirDrop on the share sheet and send it to the desired iPhone.
All your contacts will AirDrop as a .VCF file that can be imported on the new or other iPhone.
Troubleshooting: AirDrop Contacts Not Working?
If you're having issues when trying to send contacts with AirDrop, then you can try out these troubleshooting steps to see if any of them fix your problem.
- Switch AirDrop to “Everyone for 10 Minutes”: By default, AirDrop is set to Contacts Only. So if you are trying to AirDrop someone who is not in your contacts list, then their iPhone will not show up. Enable "Everyone for 10 Minutes", and that could help solve the issue.
- Toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth OFF/ON: To make sure it is not a network-related issue, you can also try turning off your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and turning them back on again after 30 seconds.
- Restart both iPhones: You can also try to restart your iPhone, as it often helps to resolve many temporary issues related to software.
- Turn off Personal Hotspot: Make sure you disable Personal Hotspot, as it interferes with the AirDrop connection.
- Update iOS: Older iOS versions don't support the new AirDrop features like NameDrop, so make sure you update your iPhone to the latest version by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Make sure the receiving iPhone taps “Accept”: This sounds so obvious, but it has happened to me regularly. Just make sure to let the other person know to press Accept when you AirDrop your contact.
- Move devices closer together: AirDrop works over a short range, so it is important to make sure that both iPhones are very close to each other.
So that wraps up this guide on how to AirDrop contacts from iPhone to iPhone. If you just need to send one or two contacts, AirDrop is easily the fastest way to transfer them. But if you’re sending multiple contacts, then iCloud makes more sense. You can also transfer contacts from Android to iPhone easily if you're on the other side of this spectrum. I hope that this guide was able to help you out and get a clear idea of how to proceed with sharing your contact details.
