How to Get Full-Screen Pictures for iPhone Calls

A simple photo tweak will restore a contact image to full-screen glory

By
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Writer
  • Ithaca College
Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others.
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Updated on June 19, 2022

What To Know

  • For new pics, open Contacts, pick a contact, tap Edit > Add Photo, and take your picture. Edit and center it, and press Use Photo > Done.
  • For an existing pic, open Contacts, pick a contact, tap Edit > Edit under the pic > Edit Photo. Move the photo, and tap Choose > Done.

This article explains how to get full-screen photos for incoming iPhone calls. It covers setting full screen contact photos both with new photos and existing contact photos. The instructions in this article apply to iPhones running iOS 8 and higher.

How to Make New Photos Full-Screen for Incoming Calls

If you're adding a new photo for a contact to your iPhone, making it full-screen for incoming calls is simple. Just add the photo to the contact by following these steps:

  1. Open the Contacts app, then tap the contact's name.

  2. On the contact's information screen, tap Edit.

  3. Tap Add Photo (or tap Edit to replace an existing photo). 

  4. Select Take Photo or Choose Photo.

    Three iOS screens showing Edit, add photo, and Take or Choose Photo buttons

  5. Use the iPhone camera to take a photo or choose one from your Photos app.

  6. Move and scale the photo to fit it in the circle.

  7. Tap Choose or Use Photo, depending on whether it's a new photo or a photo you already have.

  8. Tap Done.

    iOS screenshots of taking a new Contacts photo

  9. When the person whose contact you edited calls you, the photo you added to their contact info will show up as full screen on your iPhone.

How to Make Existing Photos Phone Full Screen for Calls

Photos that were on your phone and assigned to contacts when you upgraded to your version of the iOS to iOS 7 need different steps. Those photos have been made into the small, circular images, so getting them to full-screen requires another change. You don't need to take a new picture; just edit the old one and you'll be back to full-screen photos.

In iOS 14, incoming calls can also be set to display as a small banner at the top of the screen, rather than as full-screen photos. To get full-screen photos, go to Settings > Phone > Incoming Calls > Full Screen.

  1. Open the Phone or Contacts app, then tap the contact name.

  2. Tap Edit.

  3. Tap Edit underneath the current photo.

  4. Tap Edit Photo.

  5. Move the existing photo a little. You don't need to edit it. Just make a small change to its position––enough for the iPhone to register that the photo was changed in some small way.

  6. Tap Choose.

    Three iOS screens showing how to edit a Contact

  7. Tap Done.

    Two iOS screens showing Done button in Contact and full-screen photo during a phone call

  8. The next time this person calls you, you'll see the photo in full-screen.

There is one downside to this technique: there's no setting to control this feature for all your contacts. You have to repeat this process for every photo you want to be full-screen for incoming calls.

What Happened to Full-Screen Photos for Incoming iPhone Calls?


Getting a call on the iPhone used to mean that the entire screen would fill up with a picture of the person calling you––assuming you had a picture assigned to them in your Contacts app. It was an appealing, highly visual way of knowing who was calling.

That changed in iOS 7. With that version, the full-screen picture was replaced by a small circular version of the picture in the top corner of the incoming call screen. In iOS 8 or higher on your iPhone, you can get full-screen pictures for incoming calls again. 

FAQ
  • How do I block a caller on an iPhone?

    To block a caller on iPhone, open the phone app and select Recents. Next to the caller you want to block, select the i icon and tap Block This Caller. They won't be able to call, text, or FaceTime you on the iPhone.

  • How do I silence a caller on an iPhone?

    While there's no built-in functionality to silence a specific incoming caller, there's a workaround. Download the DearMob iPhone Manager app to your Mac, connect your iPhone, and download the silent ringtone. Disconnect the iPhone and assign the ringtone to the caller. You won't hear the caller's incoming calls.

  • How do I block my caller ID on an iPhone?

    To hide your number when making calls on your iPhone, go to Settings > Phone and turn off Show My Caller ID. When you make calls now, recipients won't see your caller ID.

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