TL;DR
- Google is developing an iOS’ NameDrop-like feature for Android, internally referred to as “Gesture Exchange” and “Contact Exchange.”
- The functionality uses a gesture and is likely driven by NFC to share contact information.
- Much like they can on iOS, users can choose to share their photo, phone number, and email, or opt only to receive the other person’s details in the Android version of the feature.
Android and iOS have long reached points of maturity, and it’s no secret that both Google and Apple look at each other’s operating systems for “inspiration” on what to add to their own. We’ve seen iOS copy features like widgets, free app icon placement on the home screen, and more from Android. On the other hand, we spotted Google working on a Contact Posters-like feature for Android, which the company eventually rolled out as Calling Cards. We’ve now spotted Google working on bringing iOS’ NameDrop-like functionality to Android, and here’s what the experience could look like.
What is NameDrop?
On iOS, users can bring the top of their iPhone close to another person’s iPhone or Apple Watch. This will initiate the rather famous animation for the NameDrop feature.
Users can then choose whether they want to only receive the other person’s contact card or also share their own information. If they decide to share their contact card, they can select the info they want to share. Once selected, the contact cards are shared, making the process very simple, seamless, and convenient once you get the hang of it.
For reference, here’s what the NameDrop process looks like on iOS:
Gesture Exchange/Contact Exchange could be Google’s answer to NameDrop
Coming back to Google’s Android, a previous version of Google Play Services, namely v25.44.32 beta, includes strings related to a new “Gesture Exchange” functionality:
Code
<string name="gestureexchange_ndef_aid_description">Gesture Exchange</string>
<string name="gestureexchange_ndef_service_description">Gesture Exchange</string>The string above refers to “ndef,” which likely stands for “NFC Data Exchange Format.”
We could also spot new code for GestureExchange, which in turn contained a new activity called ContactExchangeActivity.
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
At the time, we had a hunch that this gesture-based, NFC-driven Contact Exchange Activity could be one of the building blocks for Android’s NameDrop-like competitor. However, the clues weren’t sufficient to reach that conclusion.
With the latest Google Play Services v25.46.31, we managed to enable one of the activities related to this Contact Exchange Activity, giving you the first look at what is likely Google’s NameDrop competitor for Android:
In these early screenshots, the first image shows the first screen that users will see when they initiate Android’s NameDrop-equivalent feature. Here, they can select the details they want to share, specifically their photo, phone number, and email address. They can also choose not to share any personal information by tapping the “Receive only” text button.
The second image is the next screen, showing the received contact information (regardless of the option you choose above, provided the other user has shared their information). Depending on what the other person decides to share, you can view their phone number and email address, and their profile photo will likely already be set as the contact photo. Tapping the Save button will save this as a new contact entry on your phone. You can also directly initiate a video call or send a text using the corresponding buttons, but the utility of this is questionable, as the person is likely standing in front of you.
As you can notice, both screens for Android’s NameDrop-equivalent feature are similar to what we see with iOS’ NameDrop.
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It’s too early to comment on the technology Google will use to drive Android’s NameDrop competitor. NFC is an obvious choice, but we can’t say for sure whether contact information is shared over NFC or if it is used only for the initial handshake to establish a connection between the two phones, before switching to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Since contact cards aren’t as data-heavy as conventional media files, even sticking to just NFC might be sufficient here, but sharing a profile photo complicates the situation, so we’ll have to see what technical solution Google adopts eventually.
It’s also early to comment on the final retail branding for this feature. While activities related to it are currently referred to as “Gesture Exchange” and “Contact Exchange,” there’s a fair chance the final retail branding could be more catchy. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
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