New England Police Departments Say This iPhone Setting Could Be Used to Steal Your Info

It's merely a safety precaution because technology talks to technology and police departments around the country are recommending any of us with Apple products check our settings immediately. A new feature could be used to steal your information.

According to Connecticut News 12, this latest IOS update for iPhone has automatically turned on a sharing mechanism for any and all iPhones, Apple watches, and iPads near you. It's the IOS 17.1 update and 10 for the Apple watches called NameDrop. Here's how it works according to Boston 25 News.

This new NameDrop feature is automatically set to ON after you've updated your iPhones. It allows other iPhone users as well as iPads and watches to quickly share contact information, photos, etc with nearby Apple devices. It's like AirDrop however police around the country are warning us that it could be used nefariously, or info could be accidentally shared with strangers.

It's meant as an easy sharing component where iPhones and watches as well as iPad users can share info from device to device just by holding them close to each other.

However, according to Connecticut 12 News, police departments not just in New England but around the country say it's best to just keep it turned off so you're not accidentally sharing info, receiving info, or even worse, somehow information you don't want shared ends up in devices meant to use your information in a harmful way.

It's really just a safety precaution. I just switched mine because I recently updated my iPhone and wouldn't you know it, the NameDrop was on.

How To Turn Off NameDrop:

• Go to Settings
• Tap “General”
• Tap “AirDrop”
• Turn “Bringing Devices Together” to off