How to Change Who Sees Your Messages Profile in iOS 13 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Change Who Sees Your Messages Profile in iOS 13

by

ios 7 messages iconIn iOS 13, Apple allows you to create a standardized iMessage profile that includes your name and photo – or an Animoji/Memoji – to accompany the messages you send to friends so that they know who you are.

The idea behind the new feature is that contacts in the Messages app become more easily identifiable, similar to the way WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger contacts have recognizable profile pictures.

The difference in iOS 13 is that, thanks to Apple's privacy-minded approach, you can control who sees your Messages profile. The steps below show you how.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Scroll down and tap Messages.
    messages app in iOs 13

  3. Tap Share Name and Photo.
  4. Toggle the switch next to Share Name and Photo to the green ON position if it isn't already enabled.
    messages profile options in iOS 13

  5. To automatically share your updated name and photo with people in your contacts the next time you send a message, tap Contacts Only; to be prompted before your updated name and photo are shared, tap Always Ask; or to automatically share your updated profile with everyone, select Anyone and then tap Yes to confirm.

Want to use a custom Memoji as your profile picture in Messages but don't know where to start? Click here to learn how to create your own Memoji in iOS 13.

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Sunday August 16, 2026 8:24 pm PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. As usual, the event is expected to take place in the first half of September. Labor Day falls on September 7 this year. The last time the holiday was on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the...
apple camera airpods

Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Confirmed: See Them in Action

Monday August 17, 2026 6:21 pm PDT by
Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods that appear to be nearly ready to launch, based on a video MacRumors found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate. In a short demo, a man holds a book up so the camera in the AirPods can see the title. "With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later," says the voiceover text. Here ...
iPhone 18 Pro Dark Cherry Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: New Details Leak as Apple Event Nears

Monday August 17, 2026 11:09 am PDT by
"iPhone Ultra" supply will be very limited when the foldable device is first released later this year, according to Fixed Focus Digital, a known leaker on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account also claimed that the iPhone 18 Pro's A20 Pro chip will be up to 18% faster and up to 30% more power efficient compared to the iPhone 17 Pro's A19 Pro chip. The A20 Pro chip will be the...