Nearby sharing: the privacy settings to check on iPhone and Android

Nearby sharing is one of the nicest things phones do. Two taps and a photo moves from one phone to another, no cables, no accounts, no compression. It works over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi between phones a few steps apart. The same convenience is why it needs a moment of attention: if your phone is set to accept from anyone, anyone nearby can try to send you something, and they see your phone’s name while they do.

The three settings, on both phones

Both iPhone and Android offer the same basic choices. The names differ slightly.

Setting	Who can send to you	When to use it
Off, or your own devices only	Nobody else	When you never receive from others
Contacts only	People in your contacts	Everyday default
Everyone for 10 minutes	Anyone nearby	Only while receiving from someone new

The “everyone” setting is deliberately temporary on both. After 10 minutes it switches back to your previous choice. On iPhone it goes back to contacts only if you’re signed in to your account, or to receiving off if you’re not.

On Android

1. Open Settings and search for the nearby sharing feature by name, or find its tile in Quick Settings.
2. Tap Who can share with you.
3. Choose one:
   • Your devices: only your own devices signed in to the same account. They can see your phone even when the screen is off.
   • Contacts: nearby contacts can see your phone while its screen is on and unlocked.
   • Everyone for 10 minutes: anyone nearby, for 10 minutes.

There’s also a Receive screen in the feature itself. While you stay on that screen, your phone is visible to anyone nearby; leaving it stops that. Phones from some makers have their own version of these settings, so the names may differ.

Files you accept are saved in a folder of their own inside your Downloads folder. Photos may also show in your gallery app.

On iPhone

1. Open Control Center, then touch and hold the group of controls in the top-left corner.
2. Tap the nearby sharing icon.
3. Choose Receiving Off, Contacts Only or Everyone for 10 Minutes.

You’ll also find the same choice in Settings, then General, under the nearby sharing settings.

Your device name is visible

Whenever your phone is visible for nearby sharing, people nearby see its name. Many phones are named after their owner at setup, which means a full name broadcast to everyone in a café or on a train.

• On iPhone: Settings, then General, then About, then Name.
• On Android: Settings, then About phone, then Device name. Some phones put this under Bluetooth settings.

Pick something neutral that you’ll still recognize, like “Blue phone”.

Accepting and declining

Nothing arrives without your say. You’ll see who is trying to share and what they’re sending, and you choose Accept or Decline. A few habits keep this safe:

• Decline anything you didn’t expect, even if it looks harmless.
• Check the name carefully before accepting from someone you think you know. Anyone can name their phone anything.
• Don’t accept to “see what it is”. Previews exist so you don’t have to.

If someone keeps sending unwanted pictures, see a stranger sent you a photo nearby.

When you send

When you share a photo this way, you send the original file, which may include where it was taken. If that matters, remove the location first; see removing location from photos. And remember the copy is now theirs: what they do with it next is out of your hands.

Received something private?

Files shared with you land in your gallery or downloads like anything else, where other apps and your photo backup can see them. If someone sends you something sensitive, such as a document or personal photo, move it somewhere private.

Silo, coming soon to iPhone and Android, can import a received photo, check the encrypted copy, then offer to remove the original from your gallery.