how to change bluetooth name on iphone

When you connect a Bluetooth device to another one, then both of those Bluetooth devices can have a name displayed on the other device. This helps to ensure that you are connecting to the correct device. But you may want to know how to change the Bluetooth name on an iPhone if you find the current name to be too vague, or entirely incorrect.

Your iPhone includes Bluetooth technology, and can identify itself to other Bluetooth devices. Your iPhone will use its existing device name to identify itself via Bluetooth. The iPhone typically sets the device name as your name, so an example of a common iPhone Bluetooth name might be "Matt's iPhone." But if you have multiple iPhones, or if there is more than one person with the same first name on your network, then it could become difficult to identify a specific device.

Fortunately the iPhone device name can be changed rather easily, and it can be done directly from the device itself. You can follow our guide below to find this setting and change your iPhone's Bluetooth name to your preferred choice.

How to Change Bluetooth Name on iPhone

Open Settings.
Choose General.
Tap About.
Touch the Name button.
Enter the new name and tap Done.

Our article continues below with additional information on changing the Bluetooth name on an iPhone, including pictures of these steps.

How to Change the iPhone Bluetooth Name (Guide with Pictures)

The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 6 Plus, in iOS 8.4. These same steps will work for other iPhone models that are running iOS 7 or higher. It also works on much newer Apple devices, so you will also be able to change the name on an iPhone 11 in iOS versions like iOS 14.

The setting that we will be changing in this tutorial is the device name. This is used for other purposes besides Bluetooth device identification, such as identifying your device on a Wi-Fi network.

Step 1: Tap the Settings icon.

Step 2: Select the General option.

Step 3: Tap the About button at the top of the screen.

Step 4: Tap the Name button at the top of the screen.

Step 5: Tap the small x button to the right of the current device name to delete it, then enter in the name that you want to use as your iPhone's Bluetooth name. Press the blue Done button at the bottom-right corner of the keyboard when you have finished entering the new name.

If you use Bluetooth with your iPhone a lot, then you may eventually encounter a situation where you want to connect more than one Bluetooth device to the iPhone at the same time. Click here to learn more about multi-device Bluetooth connections on your iPhone.

More Information on How to Change the Bluetooth Name that Another Bluetooth Device Will See for Your iPhone

Not every Bluetooth device has the means to display the name of the device to which it is pairing. In fact, in many cases, you may only see this information when you connect to other Bluetooth devices like another iPhone, iPad, computer, or smartphone.

As indicated previously, the default name of your iPhone is going to be your first name, followed by the word "iPhone." If you have multiple iPhones, then they are probably going to all have the same name. This can cause problems, as that default name is also used to identify a device on your wireless network. Multiple devices with the same name can cause confusion for a network administrator, especially if they need to manage IP addresses or are performing certain security functions.

You can change the name of some other compatible devices through the Bluetooth menu, such as Airpods. You can do this by opening the Settings app, choosing Bluetooth, selecting your Airpods, then tapping name and entering a new one.

Unfortunately you cannot change the name of any Bluetooth device that you connect to your iPhone. This can be frustrating, especially for a device that has a name that isn't very descriptive.

You can forget Bluetooth devices on your iPhone if you open Settings, choose the Bluetooth option, tap the "i" next to one of the devices, then select the Forget this Device option. Note that you will need to repair that device again in the future if you want to use it with your Apple iPhone.

You can use these same steps to give a new name to an iPad as well. If you have more than one iPad as well then you are going to run into many of the same issues that you encounter when you need to rename an iPhone. So when you go to Settings > General > About > Name and tap inside the Name field to enter a new one, be sure to give it a new name that makes it easier to identify on a connected device.

Additional Sources

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

solveyourtech.com newsletter