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This wikiHow teaches you how to change the way a contact's name is displayed on conversation threads in the Messages app.
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:Using the Contacts App Settings
Method 1
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1Open your iPhone's Settings. Do this by tapping the grey gear icon on one of your phone's Home screens (it may be in a folder named "Utilities").
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2Scroll to the fifth group of options and tap Contacts.Advertisement
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3Tap Short Name. It should be in the middle of the page.
- Note that the "short name" setting doesn't apply to the Contacts app itself--all of your contacts' names will be displayed in as full a format as possible there.
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4Review your name-shortening options. If you don't see any short name options here, you'll need to slide the Short Name switch right to the "On" position first. You can change the way a name appears in a text conversation or while talking on the phone to one of four formats:
- First Name & Last Initial
- First Initial & Last Name
- First Name Only
- Last Name Only
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5Select your preferred option. For example, if you want to see only a contact's first time while texting them, you'd tap First Name Only.Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:Editing Individual Contacts
Method 2
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1Open your iPhone's Contacts. The Contacts app resembles a person's silhouette on a grey background. It should be on one of your Home screens.
- You can also tap the "Phone" app and then select the "Contacts" tab at the bottom of your screen.
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2Select a contact whose name you want to shorten.
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3Tap Edit. You'll find this in the top right corner of your screen.
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4Edit your contact's name. This information is at the top of the screen. To shorten your contact's name, you can do the following:
- Delete their last name
- Delete their first name
- Shorten their first name to a nickname or abbreviation
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5Tap Done. It's in the top right corner of your screen. Your contact's name will reflect your changes in both the Phone/Contacts apps and your Messages app.Advertisement
Warnings
- There is no way to force the Contacts app to display only first or last names from within the Contacts settings.Thanks!
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About This Article
Article SummaryX
1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Contacts.
3. Tap Short Name.
4. Select a short name format.
Did this summary help you?
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