When you receive an iMessage from an unknown party, how does Messages identify that person to you if they’re not already in your contacts? Apple has a back channel in its own multimedia text messaging system that relays your name and image to the recipient based on settings you can control.
On iOS/iPadOS go to Settings > Messages > Share Name And Photo; on macOS, open Messages and go to Messages > Settings > General (Monterey and earlier) or Messages > Settings > General (Ventura or later).
You can start by enabling or disabling sharing of your name and profile picture: use the “Share name and photo” toggle on iOS/iPadOS and the “Share name and photo” checkbox on macOS. When these items are disabled, they are not shared with people you send a message to for the first time; anyone who previously received them and saved them will keep that information.
You can change your first and last name by simply editing them. To edit or crop your profile picture, tap Edit button on iOS/iPadOS or hover over your profile picture and click Edit in macOS. You can then take a photo (on devices with built-in cameras), view or search your photo library, select an emoji symbol, or choose from Memoji. You can also click the Edit icon (pencil) to change the crop and enlarge an existing or newly selected image.
When you select a photographic image, Messages in iOS/iPadOS asks if you want to use the image in Messages. After touch or click Made, you’re asking if you want to use the new image everywhere – strange wording when Apple only means that in addition to messages, the image will be used for your Apple ID and with your My Card entry in Contacts. Touch or click Not now use only in messages; tap or click Use to become your pan-Apple picture.
Apple does not require you to share this information with anyone. You can limit automatic approval to people who are already in your contacts. Or you can choose Always Ask, in which case you’ll be prompted when you send a message to an iMessage address or phone number that you haven’t previously (or at least recently) contacted.
Recipients who don’t have saved contact information for you will see your name and profile picture. Those who already have saved information are prompted in messages if what they receive differs from what is saved. They are given the option to update their contacts with a new name or profile picture.
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