How to Create and Customise a Contact Poster on iPhone

When you place an outgoing phone call to another iPhone user, iOS allows you to decide exactly how your identity appears on their display. With the introduction of Contact Posters in iOS 17 and iOS 18, Apple replaced the generic small circular avatar with a full-screen, visually stunning caller card. You can personalise your typography, choose expressive photographs or Memoji, and adjust background gradients to match your style.

Your Contact Poster syncs seamlessly across the Phone app, Messages, FaceTime, and AirDrop NameDrop transfers. Whenever you call contacts who have your details saved, your custom poster appears edge-to-edge on their lock screen. This guide details how to build your poster, fine-tune typography and portrait depth, and set sharing permissions.

Accessing Your Contact Card

Your Contact Poster is managed directly through your personal digital identity card in the Contacts database:

1. Open the Phone app on your iPhone and tap the Contacts tab at the bottom.
2. At the very top of your contacts directory, tap My Card.
3. Select Contact Photo & Poster.
4. Tap Edit located beneath your current preview card.
5. Swipe to an existing poster or tap the large blue + (Plus) button to design a brand-new poster.

Choosing Your Poster Artwork Style

iOS provides four distinct artistic styles when constructing a Contact Poster:

• Camera: Snap a real-time portrait using your front-facing TrueDepth or rear camera.
• Photos: Select an existing high-resolution portrait, selfie, or pet photo from your photo library.
• Memoji: Use an animated 3D Memoji avatar featuring playful facial expressions and gestures.
• Monogram: Create a minimalist poster showcasing your initials against a clean chromatic background.

Customising Typography, Depth, and Colours

After picking your primary image or avatar, you enter the full-screen layout editor:

1. Edit Your Name and Font: Tap your name at the top of the screen. A styling panel will slide up allowing you to choose between multiple distinct font weights and typography styles. Use the horizontal colour wheel and slider to match the font tone to your background.
2. Adjust Photo Framing and Pinch Zoom: Use two fingers to pinch and drag your photograph. You can position your face symmetrically in the frame or shift it off-centre for a dynamic modern look.
3. Apply Visual Filters: Swipe horizontally across the screen to cycle through photo filters, including Natural, Studio, Black & White, Colour Wash, and Duotone.
4. Toggle Portrait Depth Effect: Tap the three-dot menu in the lower right corner and check Depth Effect. When active, iOS intelligently layers your hair and head slightly in front of the typography, mirroring the iPhone lock screen design.

Once you are pleased with the preview, tap Done in the top right corner.

Updating Your Matching Contact Photo

After finalising your poster, iOS asks if you would like to automatically update your accompanying Contact Photo:

1. A cropped circular preview appears on screen.
2. Tap Continue to accept the cropped version of your new poster, or tap Choose a Different Photo to select an independent avatar.
3. Tap Update to apply the changes across your Apple Account.

Managing Privacy and Name & Photo Sharing

You maintain complete control over who receives your Contact Poster when you communicate:

1. Return to the Contact Photo & Poster settings menu under My Card.
2. Ensure the Name & Photo Sharing toggle is set to On.
3. Under Share Automatically, choose between two privacy models:
   • Contacts Only: Your poster is automatically shared whenever you call or message people saved in your address book. This is the recommended setting for most users.
   • Always Ask: iOS will prompt you with a banner before sharing your poster with any caller, ensuring total privacy when dialling unfamiliar numbers.