AirDrop, the contactless sharing function of iPhones, is being questioned by influencers on TikTok for potential risks of theft of banking data. Completely false statements: you have nothing to fear!
How to create buzz on the Internet, attract visitors and display millions of views? One of the easiest ways is to generate fear or worry. A method used very widely even if it means spreading false information. This is the one used by several American content creators on the TikTok network since the beginning of December.
According to them, it is possible to steal your bank card details stored in your iPhone simply by passing nearby. A maneuver that would be made possible following the iOS 18.1 update which would have generated a security vulnerability in AirDrop, the wireless sharing function present in iPhone, iPad and Mac. To avoid any risk of theft, TikTokers encourage their subscribers to simply deactivate AirDrop. However, these claims are completely false and the warnings that accompany them are completely unnecessary.
AirDrop: a very selective sharing function
The AirDrop wireless and contactless sharing feature has no access to the iPhone’s virtual wallet (the Maps app). It only allows you to share documents (files, photos, videos, etc.). And again, not just anyhow. By default, AirDrop is set to only share items with contacts in your address book. And if it is possible to open the sharing with everyone, the operation is only possible during a 10-minute window.
Furthermore, sending an item from one iPhone to another involves validation of the transfer on both devices by their respective owners. A confusion which echoes the Name Drop function which allows you to share a contact card between two iPhones simply by bringing them close to each other. But here too, manipulation requires authorization.
The Maps application, for its part, is completely secure. All data recorded there is encrypted (and you can trust Apple, the culture of secrecy is its thing). Access to a bank card stored in the app requires authentication using FaceID or TouchID.
And even once stored in Cards, and even if the bank card is linked to the Apple Pay payment system, the data is unreadable, even by the owner of the device; For example, it is impossible to access the full number of the card, only the last four digits are visible. There is therefore no risk that any information will escape from the iPhone and even less by AirDrop.
So no need to deactivate AirDrop on your device. Contrary to what these videos published on TikTok indicate (and which have millions of views), your bank card data is well protected. Like all your other documents.