How to Change the Name of Your iPhone

Dominic Anderson October 31, 2023

When you purchase an iPhone from your local Apple store, it has the default name – iPhone. However, this can be confusing when trying to use public-oriented functions (AirDrop, hotspot) on the phone because your device’s name is so generic. This is especially true when you’re in public, surrounded by crowds of people armed with iPhones of their own. Luckily, the simplest solution is to change your iPhone name to something that you can easily recognize.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about how to change your iPhone name.

iPhone – How to Change Your Name Using Settings

As mentioned, an iPhone’s designated name (not the product number) is typically used when the phone needs to connect to other devices. Much like you’ll find those outward-facing options in the Settings, so you will have the option to change your phone name.

Follow the steps below to change your iPhone name using settings:

Open the “Settings” app.
Scroll down the options list and select “General.”
Tap “About” near the top.
Select “Name” in the About menu. This will prompt a text box to appear on the screen
Erase the current name by clicking the “x” button in it or by deleting the name manually.
Enter your new iPhone name into the box and press “done” on the keyboard.
Go back to About with the top-left button to save and finalize the change.

To verify the change was successful, you can repeat these steps (sometimes the text boxes won’t stick). If it works, the new name will appear in the type box when you arrive.

How to Change Your iPhone Name on PC

There is more than just one way to change the name of your iPhone. In addition to being able to change your iPhone name via your phone in your Settings app, you can also change it using iTunes via your PC.

Here are the steps to change your iPhone name with iTunes:

Connect your iPhone to your computer.
Open “iTunes” on your computer.
Select the “iPhone” icon in the top left corner of the iTunes screen.
Click on the “Device” button to access your iPhone details page.
Double-click on your iPhone’s name.
Erase the current name and enter your new name into the type box.
Press “Return” or “Done” on your keyboard to finalize the change.

Note: Once you’ve changed the name of your iPhone, iTunes will automatically sync your iPhone.

When Is Your iPhone Name Visible?

There are many instances when your iPhone name is visible and used to identify your iPhone:

Personal Hotspot: Your phone name is how your personal hotspot is named when you need to access the internet with another device. However, hotspots are widely used and it can be difficult to locate your phone in a sea of hotspots if your name is not recognizable.
AirDrop: This is a useful feature that allows you to seamlessly transfer files between nearby Apple devices. If you have to search for your generic phone name every time, it can slow down the efficiency of this helpful tool.
Bluetooth: Bluetooth is used to connect and communicate with a host of different devices and for a wide variety of purposes. Yet, much like hotspots, it’s very common. Thus, without a personalized name, it can be difficult to uniquely identify your phone.
iCloud: Apple’s trademark cloud service also utilizes your phone name. It’s also the place where many iPhone users like to store their private documents. Hence, the name should be equally personal.
Apple Pay: When dealing with financial transactions, you always want to ensure that everything is done smoothly and correctly. Therefore, it’s essential that you’re able to consistently know how to distinguish your iPhone.
Backups: Backups are used to routinely save the information on your phone in case something happens to it. Additionally, they’re used to transfer your information to a new phone. It’s important to avoid confusion during this process by knowing how to easily identify your phone.
Syncing to iTunes: The name of your iPhone is how you distinguish the phone when syncing to iTunes. Additionally, it’s used to identify your phone whenever you use it in conjunction with iTunes.

Why Change Your iPhone Name?

The iPhone is a massively popular device. Therefore, walking around with a phone named iPhone can turn simple things into a puzzle. A puzzle that needs to be solved every time you have to locate your phone.

However, there are a host of reasons for changing the name of your iPhone to something that you can immediately recognize:

Device management: You may have multiple Apple devices and without changing their names, they may all have identical or similar default names. Thus, making it extremely difficult to distinguish between them. Ensuring that all your Apple devices have unique names is essential to minimizing confusion between devices.
Sharing between devices: As mentioned above, if you’re unable to distinguish between devices, your own or others, it can lead to serious confusion. This is especially true when it comes to sharing files. You may unintentionally send your personal information to the wrong device or even to a complete stranger.
Locating backups: If you have multiple devices without unique names attached to the same iCloud account, then it can be a nightmare to back up your important information.

My iPhone Name Won’t Change

If you followed the steps but when you go to verify the change, the old name remains, there are a few possible causes. Try these troubleshooting options to fix any issues:

Update your software: The problem may be caused by your software being out of date. Simply, update your iPhone to the latest version and repeat the steps. This will resolve the issue if it’s related to your iOS.
Changes weren’t saved: Once you’ve finished changing your iPhone name, ensure that you click and go back to the previous screen. This is the step that actually saves the changes to your iPhone settings. Thus, if you miss this step or simply press the home button to exit, the changes won’t be saved.
Restart your iPhone: If you’ve ruled out the possibilities mentioned above then you should try restarting your phone. The issue may be caused by some undisclosed bugs in your system. Thus, performing a reset will clear out any software bugs. Once you’ve reset your iPhone, repeat the steps.

What’s My Name Again?

Making sure that you can easily distinguish your iPhone from others is key to avoiding any mix-ups that may compromise your personal information. So, if you haven’t already you may want to change your iPhone name to something that is unmistakably yours.

Have you changed the name of your iPhone? If so, did you use any of the details described in this article? Let us know in the comments section below.