Google Gesture Exchange could bring NameDrop style contact sharing to Android

Apple has spent years polishing the small everyday interactions on the iPhone, and one of the clearest examples from recent years is NameDrop. Introduced alongside iOS 17 at WWDC 2023, it turned the awkward ritual of swapping phone numbers into a smooth, almost magical gesture. Bring two compatible devices together and a rich contact card appears, complete with a personalised Contact Poster.

Now Google seems ready to answer with its own take for Android, and early evidence suggests it could bring a similar, perhaps even more flexible, experience to millions of users.

How NameDrop reshaped contact sharing on the iPhone

Before NameDrop, trading contact details often meant shouting numbers over music, spelling names in crowded places or handing a stranger your unlocked phone so they could type in their own details. Some people relied on QR codes or messaging apps, but the process still felt clunky and inconsistent.

NameDrop changes that for iPhone owners. When two iPhones, or an iPhone and an Apple Watch, are placed near each other, the devices recognise the gesture as a signal to share contact information. Each user sees their Contact Poster, including a photo or Memoji, colours and typography that match their personal style. With a couple of taps, they can send their phone number and other details, while the other person saves them directly into the address book. It feels closer to exchanging digital business cards than typing in raw data.

Because Contact Posters live at the system level, they show up throughout iOS, from the Phone app to Messages and more. Once you have created a poster that represents you, NameDrop makes that identity travel with you across every new connection you make.

The technology that powers Apple NameDrop

Under the polished surface, NameDrop combines familiar Apple technologies in a clever way. The initial handshake is handled by Near Field Communication, the same short range wireless standard that powers Apple Pay. When the two devices move close together, NFC confirms physical proximity and lets both phones know that their owners are intentionally starting a sharing session.

After that brief tap to connect moment, AirDrop takes over. AirDrop uses Bluetooth to discover nearby devices and Wi Fi to transfer data securely. The contact card and Contact Poster are sent using this channel, which is designed for quick local file sharing. If the phones start the transfer while they are close but one user walks away, the process can continue over the internet, so the exchange does not fail midway through.

Privacy and control are also built into the flow. A user can choose to share their own Contact Poster and details, or switch to a receive only mode where they only collect the other person’s information. That option is crucial in real life situations, where you might want to keep your own phone number private but still save someone else’s contact for later.

Google experiments with Gesture Exchange for Android

On the Android side, all signs point to Google working on something very similar. Code hidden inside recent versions of Google Play Services reveals an in progress feature known internally as Gesture Exchange and Contact Exchange. While it is not officially announced, the interface has already been partially enabled and explored by developers, giving us a good idea of how it may behave once finished.

The early version shows a simple, focused flow. When Gesture Exchange is active, an Android user can select what information to share from three core elements: a profile style photograph, a mobile phone number and an email address. You can choose to send any combination of these. That makes the feature flexible enough for different contexts, from casual social encounters to professional networking where an email might be more appropriate than a personal number.

There is also a receive only button, echoing the control Apple offers with NameDrop. With receive only enabled, your phone accepts the other person’s info without broadcasting your own. After the exchange, Android displays a contact received page and a prominent Save button. One tap turns that temporary card into a permanent contact in your phone book.

The prototype interface goes a step further by surfacing quick action icons on the received card. From that screen you can jump straight into a video call or fire off a text message to the new contact, hinting at tight integration with Google’s own communication tools such as its messaging and calling apps.

NFC and Bluetooth likely drive Google’s solution

Although Google has not detailed the feature publicly, the building blocks are well understood. It would be natural for Gesture Exchange to rely on NFC for the initial connection, just like NameDrop. Using NFC forces phones to be very close before anything happens, which both reduces accidental triggers and adds a reassuring sense of intention to the gesture.

Once that handshake is complete, Bluetooth and possibly a Wi Fi style direct link can handle the transfer of the actual data, whether that is a phone number, email address or profile photo. Because the logic lives inside Google Play Services rather than a full Android version update, Google could potentially roll out Gesture Exchange to a wide range of existing phones at once, as long as they have the necessary hardware.

Why a NameDrop style feature matters for Android users

For Android owners, this would be far more than a copycat of an Apple idea. It directly addresses a daily pain point. Manually typing numbers or names is slow and error prone. Sharing contact cards through messaging apps requires that you already have some way to reach the person. QR codes work, but they often feel like a workaround rather than a native, elegant solution.

A gesture based system built and maintained by Google could finally unify contact sharing across Android phones from different brands. At conferences and meetups, attendees could swap details in seconds. In retail and service environments, staff could share a company contact card without digging around in apps. Friends and family could trade information quickly without resorting to screenshots or clumsy copy and paste tricks.

Because Android spans every price point and a vast range of manufacturers, a standard, system level approach could make the platform feel more cohesive. It also gives Google a chance to highlight its own design language and privacy controls, reassuring users that they decide what to share and when.

When might Android users see Gesture Exchange

Right now, Gesture Exchange looks like an experiment that has reached the stage where it can be tested in the wild but not yet advertised. There is no official branding, launch date or guarantee that it will ship in its current form. Google is known for testing ambitious ideas inside its core services and quietly shelving those that do not meet its standards.

Even so, the presence of a working interface inside Google Play Services suggests that the company is serious about exploring the feature. If it does roll out, Gesture Exchange could arrive through a regular services update rather than waiting for a major Android version. That would give it an immediate audience of many millions of devices.

For users, the hope is simple. NameDrop has already shown how smooth and satisfying contact sharing can feel on iOS. Android deserves an equally polished answer that plays to Google’s strengths in connectivity and services. Whether it launches under the internal name Gesture Exchange or a new marketing label, a tap to share contact system would be a welcome addition to the Android toolkit and one more small way to make modern phones feel smarter and more human.