Where to find the iPhone name setting

Your iPhone name lives in the General section of Settings, under a field called About. This is the name your phone broadcasts to other devices when you connect to AirDrop, Bluetooth speakers, CarPlay, or iCloud. It's also the name that appears in iTunes or Finder when you plug your phone into a computer.

The name is not the same as your Apple ID or the contact name you've given yourself in your own phone. It's the device identifier that other people and devices see when they're looking for your phone to connect to.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Settings, tap General, then tap About to find the Name field at the top of the screen.
  • Tap the current name, delete it, type your new name, and tap Done to save the change.
  • Your new name appears when ready on AirDrop, Bluetooth, and other connection screens.
  • iPhone names can be up to 32 characters and can include letters, numbers, and most symbols.
  • If you cannot edit the name field, restart your iPhone and try again.

Step-by-step: changing your iPhone name

Open the Settings app on your home screen. Tap General near the top of the list. Scroll to the very top of the next screen and tap About.

At the top of the About screen, you'll see a field labeled Name with your current iPhone name in it. Tap that field once. The text will highlight and a keyboard will appear at the bottom of the screen.

Delete the old name by selecting all the text (or tap and hold, then choose Select All) and press delete. Type your new name. When you're done typing, tap the Done button in the top right corner of the keyboard. The change saves when ready.

What characters and length work for iPhone names

Your iPhone name can be up to 32 characters long. You can use letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens, and most punctuation marks. Emojis do not work in the name field, though some special characters like apostrophes and parentheses do.

Keep the name short enough to read easily on connection screens. A name like "Sarah's iPhone" or "Kitchen Speaker" is clearer than a very long string. If you share your home with other people, including a location or person's name helps everyone identify which device is which when connecting via AirDrop or Bluetooth.

When the name field won't let you edit

If you tap the Name field and nothing happens, or the keyboard doesn't appear, your iPhone may have a temporary software glitch. Restart your phone by holding down the power button (or power and volume button on newer models) until the "slide to power off" screen appears. Slide to turn off, wait 10 seconds, then hold the power button again until the Apple logo appears.

Once your phone restarts, go back to Settings > General > About and try tapping the Name field again. If it still won't edit, make sure you're signed into your Apple ID (Settings > [Your Name] at the top) and that your phone has the latest iOS version installed (Settings > General > Software Update).

Where your new iPhone name shows up

Once you change the name, it appears when ready on any screen where your phone identifies itself to other devices. When you open AirDrop on another Apple device, your iPhone will show up with the new name. If you connect to a Bluetooth speaker or car stereo, the new name appears in that device's list of available connections.

When you plug your iPhone into a Mac or Windows computer, the new name shows in Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows) in the device list. If you use iCloud, the name also updates in your iCloud device list, which you can see at iCloud.com under Account Settings > Devices.

Changing the name back or fixing a mistake

If you want to change the name again, follow the same steps: Settings > General > About, tap the Name field, delete the text, type the new name, and tap Done. There's no limit to how many times you can change it.

If you accidentally changed it to something you don't want and can't remember what it was before, you can set it to anything you like now. Apple doesn't store a history of previous iPhone names, so there's no way to see what it was. Just pick a new name you prefer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing my iPhone name affect my Apple ID or iCloud account?

No. Your iPhone name is separate from your Apple ID. Changing the device name does not change your account, password, or any of your data. It only changes how the phone identifies itself to other devices and networks.

Will my contacts see my new iPhone name?

Your contacts will not see your iPhone name unless they are trying to connect to your phone via AirDrop or Bluetooth. The name does not appear in text messages, calls, or your contact card. It's only visible during device-to-device connections.

Can I use special characters or emojis in my iPhone name?

You can use most special characters like hyphens, apostrophes, and parentheses, but emojis do not work in the name field. Stick to letters, numbers, spaces, and basic punctuation for the clearest results.

What happens if I don't change my iPhone name?

Your iPhone keeps its default name, which is usually "[Your Name]'s iPhone" based on your Apple ID. This works fine for most people. Changing it is optional and only useful if you want a different identifier for AirDrop, Bluetooth, or other connections.

Does my iPhone name need to match my device name in iCloud?

No. Your iPhone name in Settings is separate from the device name you can set in iCloud.com. You can change one without affecting the other. Both names serve different purposes in different places.