How to Show Contact Photos in Messages on an iPhone 11

Last updated on October 26th, 2026 at 07:46 pm

To show contact photos in Messages on an iPhone, open Settings, choose Messages (Apps > Messages on iOS 18 and later), and turn on Show Contact Photos. The pictures come from your contacts, so a person only gets a photo in Messages if their contact card has one.

How to Show Contact Pictures in the iPhone Messages App

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Messages.
3. Turn on Show Contact Photos.

The Contacts app on your iPhone allows you to add a variety of information about your contacts, including photos of those individuals. This contact information for your phone and iCloud contacts is a helpful way for you, as an iPhone user, to store a contact number, country code, address, and more.

These contact photos can be used in a couple of different locations, such as a phone call from that person, as well as the Messages app on your iPhone.

But it’s possible that you have some photos stored for your contacts but you don’t have text messages showing those pictures next to your conversations.

Curious about the label under your sent messages? Here’s what Delivered means on iPhone.

How to Display Contact Photos Next to Names on an iPhone 11 (with Pictures)

The steps in this article were originally performed on an iPhone 11 in iOS 14.3. The setting still exists in current versions of iOS, but on iOS 18 and later it is under Settings > Apps > Messages (see the section below). These steps will also work for other iPhones and iPads, including older ones with Home buttons like the iPhone 7. The iPod Touch has a similar option as well.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Scroll down and select the Messages option.

3. Tap the button to the right of Show Contact Photos to enable it.

Your contact pictures will show in the Messages app when there is green shading around the button, as there is in the image below. You can open the Messages app where you should see a contact profile picture or profile icon next to each conversation.

With the setting on, you can personalize your contacts further by giving them actual pictures instead of the default gray profile circle.

Turn On Show Contact Photos in Newer Versions of iOS

Starting with iOS 18, app settings moved into an Apps list. On an iPhone 11 or any newer model running iOS 18 or iOS 26, the path is: The same Messages screen is where you’ll find Show Subject Field, so you can also remove the subject line from your text messages while you’re there.

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Apps.
3. Tap Messages (use the search bar at the top if the list is long).
4. Turn on Show Contact Photos.

Turning the switch off hides the circles in your conversation list and in group chats. It does not delete any photos from your contacts.

Why Contact Photos Are Not Showing in Messages

The contact has no photo

Open the contact in the Contacts app, tap Edit, then tap Add Photo. You can pick a picture, take one, or use a Memoji or monogram.

The number is not saved as a contact

Messages can only show a photo for numbers and email addresses saved in Contacts. If a conversation shows a number instead of a name, tap the number at the top of the thread and choose Create New Contact or Add to Existing Contact.

Duplicate contacts

If the same person has two contact cards, Messages may use the card without a photo. Merge duplicates in Contacts; recent iOS versions show a Duplicates Found banner at the top of the list.

Name and Photo Sharing overrides your choice

Since iOS 16, other iMessage users can share their own name and photo with you. When someone updates theirs, your iPhone may ask whether to use it. If you prefer your own picture, open their contact card and choose the photo you want to keep. To pass along someone else’s full card instead, you can send a contact card in Messages from the Contacts app. Name and Photo Sharing works only over iMessage, so you’ll need to turn on iMessage on your iPhone to see or share these photos.

Photos still missing after changing the setting

Close Messages from the App Switcher and reopen it, or restart your iPhone. If you sync contacts with iCloud, make sure Contacts is turned on under Settings > [your name] > iCloud.

Additional Information

• The Settings Contacts menu has some additional options you might wish to adjust. This includes the sort and display order of contact names, as well as short name and default account options.
• If enabling this option doesn’t cause the contact photos to appear, then you might want to try restarting your iPhone. You can force restart the device if you press and hold the Power button and the volume up button. You should then see an option to slide to power off. After the device shuts down you can then hold down the Power button, then you will see a white Apple logo indicating that the phone is restarting.
• The iPhone can also be restarted from the Settings General menu, by selecting Shut Down at the bottom of the menu.
• You can hide alerts for certain message conversations by swiping to the left on that conversation, then tapping the bell icon.

Everything else you can store on a contact card is covered on Apple’s contact support site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Show Contact Photos setting?

Settings > Apps > Messages on iOS 18 and later, or Settings > Messages on older versions.

Can I show contact photos for group chats?

Yes. Group conversations show a cluster of member photos. You can also set a custom photo for a group by tapping the group name and choosing Change Name and Photo.

Does hiding contact photos save battery or space?

No meaningful amount. It is a display preference only.

A photo only shows for saved numbers, so it helps to create a new contact for people you text often. Texts from numbers you haven’t saved may also be sorted away, which explains why your iPhone separates messages from unknown senders.