GUIDE

How to Share a Contact on iPhone

Open the contact in the Contacts app, scroll down and tap Share Contact. Choose how to send it, for example Messages, Mail or AirDrop. The other person gets a contact card they can save with one tap. To share your own details with someone nearby, hold your iPhones close together to use NameDrop.

Updated October 2026

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Share someone’s contact

Open the Contacts app and tap the person.
Scroll down and tap Share Contact.
If you are offered a choice of fields, leave out anything private, such as notes or a home address.
Choose Messages, Mail, AirDrop or another app and send it.

Share your own card with NameDrop

Make sure your own card in Contacts is up to date.
Hold the top of your iPhone close to the top of the other person’s iPhone.
Choose Receive Only or Share when the cards appear.

Limits

A shared card can include more than you meant to share, so check the fields before you send it.
NameDrop needs both people to have an iPhone with a recent iOS.

The easier way with Starrise Contacts

After a contact is shared with you, Starrise Contacts helps you remember who it is. The app saves the date, time and location when you create a new contact, and you can add a dated note right away. See how to remember names and details.

Quick action buttons to message someone in WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal or Instagram with one tap.
Widgets to open a favorite person’s chat from your Home Screen or Lock Screen.

Sources

Steps checked in October 2026 against Apple’s iPhone User Guide.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I send a contact by text message on iPhone?

Open the contact, tap Share Contact and choose Messages. Pick the recipient and send. The card arrives as an attachment they can save.

Can I share several contacts at once?

You can share a whole list: in the Contacts app, tap Lists and touch and hold the list to see the options for it. On iCloud.com you can also select several contacts and export them as one vCard file.

What is NameDrop?

NameDrop is an iPhone feature for swapping contact details: hold two iPhones close together and choose to share your card or only receive the other one.

GET STARRISE CONTACTS

Try Starrise Contacts for free

Starrise Contacts works on the contacts already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. No account, nothing to import. Free to download, with an optional Pro subscription.