One TikToker’s panic about the latest iOS update has raised eyebrows from several users on the platform. Vanessa Romito (@vanessaromito13) penned a viral video urging folks to reverse an AirDrop setting she says is automatically switched on following the update.
However, numerous folks who upgraded their iPhones to iOS 18.1.1 said that their AirDrop settings stayed the same. Additionally, they said that her fears over bad actors stealing one’s data with a simple iPhone tap are unfounded.
Should you be worried about this iPhone update?
Why is this iPhone user worried about this iOS update?
“If you’ve just updated your iPhone, do not scroll on,” Romito warns users.
She urges users to immediately head over to the phone’s AirDrop settings to disable a feature. Romito claims that the latest iOS update has enabled an AirDrop setting with potentially scary implications. Furthermore, she says this toggled-on-by-default setting allows other iPhones to search for potential AirDrop users in the area.
Romito then explains how to shut this feature off. “You need to go to your general settings. Go to AirDrop, and tap search with other iPhones,” she says. “Turn that [expletive] off.”
Following this, the influencer shares her zeal in instructing other folks on the application to heed her advice.
“I literally updated my phone two nights ago,” she says. “Just now, sitting on TikTok, I saw someone saying it’s a feature that comes with the new update. Allows people to just tap your phone like, walk past you, steal every single thing that you have on your phone.”
Additionally, Romito claimed that even users’ financial data is susceptible to bad actors who are purportedly exploiting this AirDrop setting. “Meaning bank codes, literally they get access to everything in your phone. Go: general, AirDrop, click that little motherf*cking tab off,” she says to close out her video.
Is this new AirDrop feature toggled on by default?
Some users have complained about AirDrop functionality following the iOS 18.1.1 update. Several users say the software package, which debuted on Nov. 19, has caused problems with AirDrop transfers. Gadget Hacks wrote that as part of the 18.1.1 security update, AirDrop toggles have been added to the Control Center.
However, there don’t seem to be complaints about this “search with other iPhones” toggle being enabled by default following the update.
Past AirDrop woes
That’s not to say that automatic changes to AirDrop settings haven’t occurred with iOS updates in the past.
CBS News reported that Massachusetts police officers warned iPhone users about an update that took place in November 2023. According to the outlet, the AirDrop’s Name Drop feature was automatically enabled for users. This functionality allows iPhone users to share their contact information by touching the top ends of phones together.
It’s worth mentioning, however, that even with Name Drop a prompt appears on both iPhone users’ screens. Users will then have to confirm or deny whether or not they want to accept a contact share request.
After the release, Popular Science also urged folks to check their settings. The potential security risks posed to underage users by potential bad actors was echoed in the CBS story. Furthermore, users may not want to receive these requests from strangers. Random people may hope a user accidentally accepts the request without thinking.
Can AirDrop be used to steal information?
This question was prompted in an Apple Discussions forum from concerned users.
However, as one person online penned, this is an unlikely scenario. “With AirDrop you choose what and when you want to share information from your iPhone with other users,” they wrote. “So the answer to your question is no, you cannot see or steal info information.”
Moreover, IPVanish has written about the security measures Apple has in place for AirDrop transfers. These include end-to-end encryption and secondary prompts which must be confirmed to go through with a transfer. Also, the “controlled discoverability” feature that Romito referenced in her video means that users can control who can and can’t send them AirDrop requests.
Apple Pay and AirDrop
IPVanish doesn’t detail any single scenario, however, where someone can simply touch your iPhone with theirs and steal your data.
Rather, AirDrop scammers seem to rely on user error, according to the website. “The crux of AirDrop vulnerabilities stems from AirDrop’s peer-to-peer nature, which leaves room for human error and user-related risks,” the site reports.
This Apple Support Community page also indicated that Apple Pay data cannot be shared via AirDrop. The only way for someone to get your financial data is if you have it saved to a contact card. Or, if you had it on a document, picture, or folder saved somewhere and shared it with them.
Apple also writes that all Apple Pay user data is encrypted. So it’s not like it’s stored on your phone the same way that folder of memes you’ve been feeding for years is.
TikTokers deny Romito’s claim
Furthermore, several TikTok users have stated that their AirDrop settings haven’t changed following the iOS 18.1.1 update.
One person wrote, “Mine is still contacts only after the update.”
Another bluntly replied to Romito’s video: “That’s not true at all.”
One user speculated that Romito was incorrectly referencing the iOS 17 Name Drop update. “This was in an older update. Not this one. It’s been in your phone for a while,” they thought.
And someone else said, “Mine updated the other night, but mine doesn’t say that? My only contacts is ticked though.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Apple via email and Romito via TikTok comment.
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