Expiring Link
Send a signed link in a conversation. The recipient opens it in Cloud Contacts, checks the offered details, and chooses what to save.
Valid for 15 minutes after creation. Signed, not encrypted.
Contact sharing, thoughtfully connected
Share a contact.
Choose every detail.
A quick introduction. A work number. A way to stay in touch. Choose a card, QR code, contact file, or expiring link—then decide exactly what goes with it.
iPhone & iPad
Mac
This guide covers the updated Share Contact workflow. Screens and options depend on your installed app version.
Share Contact
Start with a personAuthentic screens from the current app.
Choose what fits the moment
Four formats. The same intention.
QR Code
Let someone scan the selected details or an expiring link. Keep “Use an expiring link” on for contact review in Cloud Contacts; turn it off for a direct vCard QR.
Direct QR codes work with compatible contact scanners and do not expire.
Contact Card
Share a card image with a QR code. The signed version shows a link QR instead of printing the contact fields as text. Direct cards show a compact selection and encode the approved details in the QR.
Uses the same visual card design as the Messages extension.
Contact File (.vcf)
Send a vCard file containing the details you choose. The recipient imports the copy into an app that supports .vcf, with field support depending on that app.
A portable copy—not a live connection. Files do not expire.
Introducing a colleague? Select their work details. Meeting someone in person? Show a QR code. Exchanging messaging handles? Send a signed link so the other person can review each identity before saving it.
On the other side
Review it.
Save what matters.
An expiring link opens a contact review—not an automatic import. The recipient stays in charge of what is added to their library.
Check the link and fields
Review the signature information, expiry and offered values. Select each field you want to keep.
Choose where it belongs
Create a new contact or link the details to an existing person. Review name conflicts before replacing anything.
See the actual result
See which details were added, updated, already present or skipped. A repeated import is not presented as a new change.
Take the next step
Open the contact, use its messaging details, share your own card back, or separately review saving to Apple Contacts.
Understand the boundaries
Signed is not the same as secret.
A signature helps detect changes to the link’s contents. It does not encrypt those contents or prove who the sender is. Anyone with the link can read the included details.
15 minutes to import
Expiry stops new imports in Cloud Contacts. It does not erase data already saved, make a copied link unreadable, or recall an image.
Copies stay copies
Direct QR codes, card images and contact files have no expiry. Share them only with people who should keep the information.
No invisible promises
A ready link is not a delivery receipt. Sharing does not verify a messaging account, add friends or start ongoing synchronization.
Sharing a person’s details?
Or updating an account?
Share Contact
Send a selected copy or link to another person. A vCard (.vcf) is a contact file—not a provider login and not access to your address book.
Sharing inside Messages →Sync Contacts
Save to Apple Contacts or another supported provider. CardDAV is a protocol for a provider account. The separate Sync Contacts action starts with this contact selected and opens destination review; nothing is written just by opening it.
Provider-to-provider sync guide →Want these details in your device’s Contacts app? Read the Apple Contacts and system integration guide.
Before you send.
Where do the shared details come from?
They come from the contact you opened, not automatically from your sign-in profile. Open your own contact card to share your details. You can choose which fields to include, but the sharing screen does not edit their values or save reusable sharing presets.
Does the recipient need Cloud Contacts?
The signed-link review and approval workflow requires Cloud Contacts. A direct vCard file or direct contact QR can be opened by compatible contact apps and scanners. A card image can be viewed like any other picture. Not every receiving app supports every contact field.
What happens after a signed link expires?
Cloud Contacts rejects new imports from that link after its 15-minute validity window. Expiry does not make the encoded information unreadable and does not remove screenshots, saved files, or contacts already imported. Create a new link and send it again if more time is needed.
Why will a large contact not fit in a QR code?
QR codes have limited capacity, and signed links add verification data. Select fewer fields or use a contact file for a larger direct copy. Cloud Contacts does not silently remove approved details to make the QR fit.
Will I know when the recipient saves the contact?
No. A link-ready message means the link was created. Opening a messaging app or completing the system share sheet does not prove delivery, identity, or recipient approval. The recipient sees the result of saving on their own device.
Is this the same as sharing from the Messages extension?
No. The Messages extension on iPhone and iPad has its own compact contact-card composer. The main app’s Share Contact flow adds format choice, explicit field selection, and expiring links. They share a card design, but their controls and supported fields are different.
A better way to pass it on.
Bring your contacts together. Choose the right details. Share with intention.
iPhone & iPad
Mac