What to Know
- Ensure iOS is updated.
- Check that the contact has an assigned photo in the Contacts app.
- Toggle “Show Contact Photos” on in the Messages settings.
- Restart your iPhone.
- Check if the issue persists with all contacts or specific ones.
Users of iPhones can save contact pictures in text messages or iMessages. However, sometimes, contact photos may not show up for each recipient due to incorrect settings. Don’t worry! I will guide you through restoring hidden contact photos in the iPhone’s Message App on the latest iOS.
Quick Fixes for iPhone Message App Not Showing Contact Pictures
Note: Before attempting the bottom steps, make sure you have assigned a picture to a contact on your iPhone or iPad. Without the assigned picture, your phone message app won’t show you an image next to the contact. So, please check out first. In case you have added a photo to a specific contact, but the picture is not showing next to that contact in the messaging app, then you should take the following actions.
The answer to How do you get the contact picture to show in messages on the iPhone? On a small screen iOS device (less than the 4.7-inch display, iPhone 5S or earlier device doesn’t show up contact profile picture). But if you have any iPhone – iPhone 7/ iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone X, 11(Pro Max), 12(Pro, Max), 14 (Pro, Max), 15 (Pro, Max) then you can set up contact image in the messaging app.
- Launch the Settings app.
- Scroll to Last Apps
- Tap Messages.
- Turn the toggle for Show Contact Photos ON; a green background indicates that it is enabled.
Note: An iPhone with the Zoomed Screen feature enabled will not display the “Show Contact Photos” option in the Messages Settings app. Therefore, first turn off the Zoomed Screen as described in the next solution, number 1.
Now, you can see pictures beside messages on your iPhone. If pictures are not saved in the contacts, a black profile icon will appear; see the figure below.
Solution #1: Not showing contact picture on iPhone after enabling in Settings app
In this case, if you have enabled Zoom display mode, please revert to the standard display mode. Display Zoom won’t allow the iPhone to show a contact Photo in Messages. If the Display view is set to zoom, it will disable it.
By the way, Display zoom makes iCon big in size compared to normal size. But it restricts some functions of iOS. Therefore, users reporting after Zoom display the Show Contact Photos option missing/ disappeared in Messages Settings. So you guys, disable Zoom Display to get Show Contact Photos Settings back.
Check and verify by
- Go to the settings.
- Tap Display & Brightness.
- Scroll the screen to Display Zoom.
- Tick on the radio button for Default.
- Tap ‘Done’ in the top right corner.
- To confirm, tap Use Standard.
- Your iPhone will turn on after a black screen for a few seconds.
Now, return to the previous steps to enable the Show Contact Photos feature. Restarting is sometimes necessary in order to modify settings.
Solution #2: Make sure a Contact has a Picture in the Contacts App
Why are My Contact Pictures Not Showing Up in iPhone Messages iOS? Saving the same contact number under different contact names helps avoid duplication and allows you to set the perfect profile photo for each.
Step 1: Open the Contacts or Phone app. Find a contact by searching for a type name or contact number in the search box.
Step 2: Tap on the Name option; here, you can set a profile picture. Next, tap on Edit in the top right corner.
Step 3: Add photo > Choose Photo/Take Photo (select photos from your albums or photos).
Step 4: Tap on Done > Continue. Crop Before Save it > Continue > Done. It looks like a Whatsapp profile.
TheThe above solutions are perfect in most cases when the message does not show contact pictures on the iPhone.
Note: In the latest iOS running on an iPhone, you can enable the hide alert for Messages. Open the Message app, tap and hold on to a message thread, and swipe left to access the hide alert option, which stops the notification alert.
Solution #3: Turn off Contacts inside iCloud and turn it back on to fix
Step 1: Launch the Settings app. Tap the Apple ID profile. Tap on iCloud.
Step 2: Turn the toggle for Contacts off/white.
Step 3: Your Apple iPhone should ask, “What would you like to do with the previously synced iCloud contacts on your iPhone?” Tap “Keep on My iPhone“.
Step 4: After that, hit the Contacts toggle again to turn it back on, and it should prompt your screen to “Merge” all contact information from the iPhone with the iCloud. Choose merge.
That’s it.
- Now open the Apple Messages app and check it out.
I hope this third solution fixed your problem of the message not showing the contact picture on iPhone.
Bottom Line:
Many users say that add an extra phone number to their phone app contact. So if you edit contact and go to the ‘add number’ screen.
It doesn’t matter Even the same as the above phone number. Just Save it, and possibly it should carry the contact picture over onto iMessage chat.
Please share in the comment box which solution worked for you! If none of the above solutions worked, then you can email us on admin at howtoisolve dot com. Thanks for visiting.
