AssembleDebug / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is developing a NameDrop-style contact-sharing feature for Android.
- We can now show you the slick animation that will accompany the feature and appear when two Android phones are brought together.
- We still don’t know the marketing name Google plans to use for the feature, but internally, it’s referred to as “Gesture Exchange” and “Contact Exchange.”
Google appears to be moving full steam ahead on its NameDrop-like contact sharing feature for Android. Thanks to a new update to Google Play Services, we were able to surface a slick animation that accompanies the feature and shows up when two Android devices are brought close together to enable the contact exchange.
A few weeks ago, we exclusively reported that Google was working on a new feature internally referred to as “Gesture Exchange” and “Contact Exchange.” At the time, we uncovered strings referencing an NFC-based data exchange and early UI screens that strongly resembled Apple’s NameDrop feature on iOS.
For those who don’t know, NameDrop on iOS allows iPhone users to bring the top of their devices together to share contact cards. The information is exchanged wirelessly, eliminating the need to scan QR codes or manually enter numbers. When triggered, NameDrop initiates a signature animation to show it’s working. Android’s version will also be accompanied by an animation.
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With the latest Google Play Services update (v25.49.31 beta), we were able to get the new Android contact-sharing animation working between a POCO F6 and a Pixel 9. The feature currently only shows the animated UI when the phones are tapped together. Actual contact exchange is still not functional, which is why there are no pop-ups or bottom sheets yet. This indicates that the feature is still in early stages of development, and Google isn’t on the verge of shipping it out just yet.
While we know that Google will use NFC for device detection, it’s still unclear whether NFC will handle the full data transfer or simply serve as the initial handshake before switching to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
One thing is certain, though: The experience requires the NFC antennas to be aligned, and Android devices don’t have a consistent placement for them. On iPhones, NFC antennas are consistently located at the top, making positioning more straightforward. This means you may need to struggle a bit with setting up two Android devices to get the feature working once it goes live.
We’ll keep digging around for the feature and update you as more functionality becomes available.
⚠️ 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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