The newly announced iOS 172 feature allows users to share passes and tickets from the Wallet app by simply bringing two iPhones closer together, similar to the recently added NameDrop feature

You can see Apple's full description of this feature in the screenshot below, taken from the iOS 172 release notes

Here's how it works: When you select a pass in Wallet and place your iPhone across from another iPhone, a large share button will appear at the bottom of the screen Tapping this will AirDrop that pass to the other iPhone

One notable limitation is that both iPhones must have the iOS 172 update installed So if you want to start using this regularly, you may need to convince friends and family to upgrade promptly

Sharing wallet passes has always been possible enough, via AirDrop, message attachments, or other methods However, this new feature should make it quicker, as once you have selected the file you want to send, there is no need to search through your contacts to find the right person

This is slightly different from the usual NameDrop, which automatically suggests exchanging contacts when two iPhones are moved together Having the extra step of selecting a path to transfer is not too much of a burden, but it is not quite as clever So we suspect that Apple will offer a menu of sharing options in the future when carrying two iPhones together, rather than automatically assuming that they will exchange contact information Perhaps that's something iOS 18 could fix

You will definitely want to install iOS 172 when it becomes available for your iPhone Aside from this path-sharing feature, this update also brings an all-new Journal app for recording your days and thoughts, as well as upgraded telephoto camera performance for the iPhone 15 Pro and support for Qi2 wireless charging for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 series iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 series