Find out how to personalize your iPhone or iPad by changing its name to make it easily identifiable and give it a unique touch.
You may have seen Sebastien’s tutorial explaining how to change your Mac computer’s name so you can recognize it easily when using AirDrop or simply when looking for it on the local network.
It’s a little-known fact that you can just as easily change the name of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Choosing a custom name for your device helps keep it distinguishable from other devices you may own. It’s particularly helpful when using services like iCloud, Find My, AirDrop, Personal Hotspot, etc.
Obviously, this is a tutorial for beginners, as power users are probably aware of how to do this. Regardless of your level of expertise, this how-to serves as a nice reminder to check and maybe choose a proper name for your device other than the default name iOS assigns to it after a restore or on first use.
Change the name of your iPhone or iPad from Settings
1) Launch the Settings app on your iOS device and tap General > About.
2) As pictured below, the Name section at the very top should display the current name of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Tap it to set a custom name for your device.
3) Use the on-screen keyboard to give the device a new name. Then, hit the checkmark or done key to save the new iPhone name.
In the example below, I renamed my iPhone from the default “Ankur’s iPhone” to a more descriptive name, “Ankur’s iPhone 15 Pro Max,” so I can differentiate it from my iPhone 11 and the new iPhone 17.
That’s all there is to it!
The new custom name for your device should be listed under the Name line in Settings > General > About. This new name will now also reflect when using AirDrop and Personal Hotspot.
Change the iPhone or iPad name using your Mac
1) Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac using a USB cable. It will also work if you’ve enabled showing your iOS device in Finder when both your iPhone/iPad and Mac are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. You may be asked to trust both of your devices and unlock your iPhone if necessary.
2) Click your iPhone or iPad under Locations in the Finder sidebar.
3) Click the current name of your iOS device at the top, type the new name for it, and press the return key on the keyboard. That’s it; no need to sync manually, as Finder will rename your device on the fly.
Again, the device name is used to denote your hardware in Finder, as well as help distinguish it inside the Find My iOS app and in the service’s web interface on iCloud.
On a related note: