In short
Open Settings, tap General, then About, then Name. Type the new name and tap Done. The new name is used for AirDrop, Personal Hotspot, Bluetooth and Find My.
The iPhone's name is what other people see when you share a hotspot or send something by AirDrop. Out of the box it is usually just "iPhone", which is confusing when several are nearby.
The screenshots are our own, taken on an iPhone 17e running iOS 27.0.1, in dark mode. We blurred our own name.
4 of 4 steps show a real screenshot from our iPhone 17e.
What changed: added where the new name shows up: AirDrop, Personal Hotspot, Bluetooth, Find My and your Mac.
Steps
- 1
Open Settings and tap General
Open the grey Settings icon and tap General.
- 2
Tap About
It is the first row.
- 3
Tap Name
It is the first line on the About page. Below it ours showed iOS Version 27.0.1 and Model Name iPhone 17e.
- 4
Type the new name and tap Done
Tap the x to clear the old name first. On iOS 27.0.1 the Done key is the blue tick on the keyboard. The change applies straight away.
Where the new name shows up
- AirDrop. Apple says AirDrop uses the name, so people you send to or receive from see it. AirDrop lists devices by their names: on our iPhone 17e the AirDrop sheet showed our Mac under My Devices (its name blurred). Source: Change the name of your iPhone
- Your Mac. Apple says your computer uses it too. On our MacBook Neo with macOS 27.2, Image Capture listed our iPhone 17e under Devices by its name (blurred here). Not shown: the Finder sidebar. Source: Change the name of your iPhone
Zoomed in on the setting. Tap to see the whole screen - Personal Hotspot. Apple lists your Personal Hotspot: nearby phones and laptops see this name when they look for your hotspot. Not shown: Personal Hotspot is off on our iPhone 17e, so we have no picture of another device finding it. Source: Change the name of your iPhone
- Bluetooth. Apple lists Bluetooth: devices you pair with see this name. Not shown: we have no screenshot of another device listing our iPhone. Source: Change the name of your iPhone
- Find My. Apple's Find My steps have you tap Devices, then the name of the device, so the name is how you pick your iPhone there. Not shown: we have no Find My screenshot. Source: Locate a device in Find My on iPhone
If you do not see this option
- The keyboard has no Done key. On iOS 27.0.1 Done is the blue tick at the bottom right of the keyboard, as in the picture.
- Search for it. Open Settings, tap the search field at the bottom and type Name. Apple notes that the sections in Settings depend on the iPhone model. Source: Find settings on iPhone
If this does not work
- Others still see the old hotspot name. Devices that joined your Personal Hotspot before remember the old name. On them, forget the network and join it again under the new name.
- Strangers can see your name. Apple says the name is used by AirDrop, Bluetooth and your Personal Hotspot, so people nearby can see it. Use a name without your surname.
- Cannot find the new name on another device? Apple says the hotspot appears under the name of the iPhone providing it. On another iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap Wi-Fi and look for that name. If it is not there, check that Allow Others to Join is on in Personal Hotspot settings on your iPhone.
- A Mac still lists the old name? On a Mac, Apple says to choose the name of the nearby iPhone from the Wi-Fi menu, Control Centre or System Settings. If only the old name shows, turn the Mac's Wi-Fi off and on so it looks for networks again.
Good to know
Avoid putting your full name in it if you use a hotspot in public, because everyone nearby can see the name.
To rename AirPods or other Bluetooth accessories, open Settings, Bluetooth, tap the i next to the device and tap Name.
To rename a Mac as well: how to rename your Mac.
The new name applies straight away and needs no restart. Your data, apps and settings are not affected. When you share with AirDrop, it also matters who can see you: Apple says the Everyone for 10 Minutes setting changes after 10 minutes, back to Contacts Only for people signed in with an Apple Account. To undo the rename, go back to General, About, Name and type the old name again.
Watch these steps
Watch on YouTubeThe same steps, recorded on our iPhone 17e · opens YouTubeAbout this guide
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 17e)
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › General › About › Name
- Real screenshots
- 4 of 4 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 5 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Did this guide work for you?
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