Adding pictures and photos to your iPhone contacts is a nice way to improve the iOS experience for phone calls and messaging, as it helps to quickly identify people in conversations and when reaching out.
Assigning pictures to contacts is quick and easy, and the trick is the same whether on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and regardless of iOS version. Assuming you use iCloud to sync the contacts, the custom contact pictures will automatically transfer over to any shared device or Mac as well.
How to Assign Custom Photos to Contacts in iOS
In this example, the picture chosen is a doodle drawn from Notes app, but you can pick any photo, drawing, or other image stored on the iPhone, or take a new photo with the camera.
- Open the Phone or Contacts app and select the contact you wish to assign a photo to
- In that users open contact card, tap the “Edit” button in the corner
- Tap on “Add Photo” next to their name
- Choose “Take Photo” or “Choose Photo”
- Move and scale the photo as desired then tap on “Choose”
- Tap on “Done” to save and assign that photo this contact
- Repeat with other contacts and other photos as desired
The assigned picture will now appear alongside that users name when browsed in the Contacts app, the Phone app, when calling or being called by that person, and also in the Messages app of iOS.
You can change, edit, and remove photos for contacts at anytime as well, simply by returning to the Contact, choosing Edit, and making the adjustment to the photo as desired.
Note that if you have chosen to hide the contact photos in Favorites or in Messages lists then you will not see the assigned contacts pictures in those situations.