Skip to main content

iPhone: How to disable short names for contacts

By default, your iPhone will shorten last names for contacts that you choose to provide a last name for. This wasn’t always the case, though, and it’s possible to revert it back to the original form with the full name displayed.

Follow along to learn how….

iPhone: How to disable short names

  1. Open up Settings > Contacts > Short Name.
  2. Here, you can choose to turn off Short Name, which will let you show full names in apps such as Messages. You can also turn on Prefer Nicknames, which will always use nicknames, provided you’ve added it in your contact.

This is super useful, especially if you have multiple contacts with last names that start with the same letter.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:


Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel