iOS has received massive changes in the past few months including a UI overhaul for notifications. Previews are now prominently displayed and stacked based on your preferences. However, there might be times when you wish to cut down on these previews due to privacy concerns.
A lot of users seem to be looking for a way to hide names from Messages, and if you’re in the same boat then here’s all you need to know about the same.
Can you hide names in Messages?
No, you can not hide names in Messages or notifications by the Messages app natively in iOS.
However, you can choose to deploy workarounds that help hide the name on your device depending on your preferences. These workarounds aren’t ideal and might cause you to lose out on important notifications in some cases depending on the workaround you choose.
Do check out methods fifth and sixth in particular below to avoid showing the names of the sender of messages. You shall find them useful, we hope.
Related: How to Share Focus Status with Everyone on iPhone
How to not show name in a text message in 6 ways (2022)
If you’re looking to hide names from the content of your message notifications, then you can simply turn off previews. This will only show sender names in Message notifications.
If however, you’re looking to hide sender names from notifications by the Messages app, then you can turn off lock screen previews instead. You can also turn off notifications and alerts from individual senders depending on your needs and requirements.
Let’s get started. Use either of the methods below depending on the one that best fits your current needs.
Method 1: Turn off Previews
Open the Settings app and tap Notifications.
Scroll down and tap Messages.
Scroll down again and tap Show Previews.
Tap and select Never.
And that’s it! Previews will now be turned off for Message notifications on your device.
Related: Does Deleting a Message on iMessage Unsend It?
Method 2: Turn off Lock Screen notifications
Note: Turning off lock screen notifications can cause you to lose track of pending notifications in some cases.
Open the Settings app and tap Notifications.
Tap Messages from the app list.
Uncheck the box below Lock Screen.
Close the Settings app and you will now have turned off lock screen previews for Message notifications on your device.
Related: Why Can’t I Unsend a Message on iPhone? Reasons and How to Fix
Method 3: Disable Alerts for the concerned sender
Note: Disabling alerts will disable all notifications from the concerned sender except badges on the app icon.
Open the Messages app and tap and open the conversation with the concerned sender.
Tap their name at the top.
Tap and turn on the toggle for Hide alerts.
Close the app and all alerts from the concerned sender will now be hidden on your device.
Related: Can you Unsend Green Text Messages on iPhone?
Method 4: Delete the Contact
You can always choose to delete the contact from your device. This allows you to keep notifications enabled while ensuring that no name is displayed on your device when ever receiving messages.
This, however, brings along the small task of remembering the concerned user’s phone number so that you’re always aware of the unknown sender texting you.
Use the steps below to help delete a contact from your device.
Open the Contacts app on your device. Tap and hold on the concerned contact from the list on your screen.
Tap Delete Contact.
Tap Delete Contact again to confirm your choice.
And that’s it! You will now have deleted the concerned contact from your device.
Method 5: Use a Focus mode
Note: This method is advantageous when you wish to hide the names of a few senders on your device. If you wish to hide names from all Messages no matter the senders, then this method won’t work for you. We recommend trying out one of the other options mentioned in this guide.
We can use a focus mode to our advantage to selectively hide notifications from the concerned sender whose name you wish to hide. Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.
Open the Settings app and tap Focus.
Tap the + icon in the top right corner.
Tap Custom.
Enter a name for your Focus mode.
Subsequently choose the desired color and icon based on your preferences.
Tap Next once you’re done.
Now tap Customize Focus.
Tap People at the top.
Tap and choose Silence Notifications From.
Now tap Add People.
Tap and select the concerned contact whose name you wish to hide from Messages.
Tap Done.
Tap Done again.
Customize other aspects including automation for your Focus Mode as needed. Additionally, repeat the steps above if you wish to add more users to the custom list.
And that’s it! You can now turn on your Custom Focus mode whenever you wish to hide names from your Messages.
Method 6: Use the Unknown Senders filter list
iOS allows you to selectively filter and hide messages from all unknown senders. These messages then have their own separate category which you can manually check when needed. Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.
Note: You’ll need to delete the concerned contact(s) to use this workaround on your device.
Open the Contacts app on your device. Now tap and hold on the concerned contact whose name you wish to hide from your device.
Select Delete Contact.
Tap Delete Contact again to confirm your choice.
Repeat the steps above for other contacts whose names you wish to hide when receiving Messages.
Now open the Settings app, scroll down, and tap Messages.
Scroll down and tap Unknown & Spam.
Turn on the toggle for Filter Unknown Senders.
All messages from the selected contacts will now be filtered and sent to the Unknown Senders list. Open the Messages app and tap Filters.
Tap Unknown Senders.
You will find messages from your contacts in this list.
And that’s how you can hide names using the Unknown Sender filter.
We hope this post helped you easily hide names from Messages on your iPhone. If you have any more questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below.
