I can’t wait for Android 17 to copy this iPhone feature

I’m not ashamed to admit that I find it difficult to make new friends. In today’s online-centric world, making genuine connections in the real world can feel impossible at times.

One of the aspects I struggle with most is when a social event is coming to an end, but I want to stay in touch. Asking for a number can feel awkward, and it puts pressure on the other person to provide something that feels quite personal.

Then, you either have to trust that they’re giving you an accurate number (women often give out a fake number to men they don’t trust for safety reasons, which I totally understand) or call it to reveal your number to them. It’s an annoying hassle, and makes the end of an otherwise pleasant interaction feel stilted and awkward.

The usual, safer fallback is a social media handle, but I don’t use Instagram, Snapchat or any of the other apps where you could realistically connect. And let’s be honest, who wants to dish out their email address? I’m not looking for a pen pal here.

Let’s be honest, who wants to dish out their email address? I’m not looking for a pen pal here

Since 2023, I’ve been enviously looking at the iPhone, after Apple introduced what may well be the perfect solution. Known as ‘NameDrop’, it allows two iPhones (or recent Apple Watches) to seamlessly share contact info, simply by holding the devices near each other and waiting for the magic to happen.

You can easily choose which information you want to share, or if you’d rather just receive from the other person. It also acts as a shortcut for AirDrop, making sharing files between iPhones even easier.

I tried it once with a friend, while testing the iPhone 16 Pro, and it was a total breeze. Compared to the WhatsApping method I usually opt for, it felt like a game-changer.

But after switching back to Android, I completely forgot all about it and returned to my excruciating question: “Do you mind if I get your number?” Ugh.

The solution I’ve been waiting for?

An Android Authority report that Google was working on its own version of NameDrop late last year totally passed me by. So, it was only when I heard the feature’s apparently official name – Tap to Share – (from the same site) that I started to get excited.

It’s hardly a revolutionary name, but one that better describes its overall purpose than NameDrop. Android Authority managed to get the user interface for Tap to Share working, and mentions that photos, videos, links, location data and “more” can be shared.

I’m intrigued what more could be on offer, exactly, but the bit I’m really looking forward to is the dramatic simplification of phone number sharing.

As an aspiring friend-maker who begins rehearsing the “Can I get your number?” question within minutes of meeting someone new, this can’t come soon enough

It won’t be quite as seamless as the iPhone, where a simple bump of handsets is enough to trigger the sharing process, but the differing placement of NFC chips between different Android phones means this is probably impossible.

Instead, official-looking instructions from Google suggest that both phones need to have their screens facing up and overlapping until you see the all-important “glow”. If that doesn’t work, you can try holding the phones back-to-back.

From there, the process appears to be roughly the same as NameDrop on the iPhone, offering the option to share a photo, mobile number, email address or presumably any other contact info that you have saved. Oh, and it looks like you’ll be able to only receive info if you’d prefer – just like the iPhone.

There’s even the possibility of sharing between Android and iPhone, something Google managed to achieve with AirDrop earlier this year.

Will Tap to Share arrive on Android 17?

That’s the big question. While Tap to Share leaks and rumours have increased dramatically recently, there’s no guarantee that it’ll be one of Android 17’s new features.

It’s certainly not available in Beta 3, the latest version of Android 17 that’s publicly available to try (I’m testing it out on my Pixel 10 Pro XL now, so look out for more on that soon).

However, there’s promising news for Samsung Galaxy phone owners. A separate Android Authority report from last month revealed a potential Tap to Share user interface in One UI 9. That’s the next major version of Samsung’s phone software, and it could debut alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 foldables in the summer.

Given that timeline, it’d be very weird for Android 17 to launch without it.

If it does arrive as expected, our first official look is likely to be around the time of Google’s I/O developer conference, which is confirmed for 19-20 May this year.

Android 17 could then make its official debut on recent Pixel phones as soon as June – if last year’s Android 16 launch is anything to go by.

If Tap to Share is among the new features, the painful number exchange that has characterised so many recent first meetings could soon be replaced with a simple tap – assuming it works as intended, of course.

As an aspiring friend-maker who begins rehearsing the “Can I get your number?” question within minutes of meeting someone new, this can’t come soon enough.

However, as usual, Android 17 (and by extension, One UI 9) is likely to take several months to roll out to all compatible devices – including many of the best phones you can buy. Having recently switched from Pixel to Samsung, I’m worried about this.