While there are a considerable number of distinct qualities that make iPhones the go-to choice for those in the market for a new smartphone, reliability is perhaps the first thing that comes to mind, both when it comes to the software and the hardware of the device.
That being said, even though iPhones are as reliable as they come, there is no debate that they can also be affected by software bugs and glitches in some cases, like any other smart device, and require some troubleshooting to get things working again.
In today’s article, our topic will be the process of fixing a harmless but irritating problem that you can come across as an iPhone user, where the name of your iPhone ends up randomly changing with arbitrary numbers being added to the device name, such as “iPhone” turning into “iPhone (7)”.
So, how can you prevent your iPhone from automatically changing its name?
The most straightforward way to prevent your iPhone from automatically changing its name is to manually change the name from “iPhone” to a unique one that is unlikely to be used by another iPhone in the same wireless network your device is connected to.
In the upcoming sections, we will take a more detailed look into the process of preventing an iPhone’s name from automatically changing, discuss the factors that can trigger the occurrence of such a problem, and find out whether changing the name of an iPhone can have any detrimental effects.
How to Prevent iPhone Name From Automatically Changing?
Even though coming up with a solution to such an odd problem by yourself is not an easy task by any means, applying the solution that will prevent your iPhone from automatically changing its name is super easy.
Below, you can find a step-by-step guide to give your iPhone a unique name, which will ensure that the problem never occurs again:
- Open the Settings application on your iPhone.
- Navigate to the General section in Settings.
- Press the About button on the top of the screen.
- Press the Name button on the top of the screen.
- Input the name you would like to give your iPhone, and press the Done button.
Please note that it can take some time for the new name to be reflected on your other devices or iCloud, as the change you have made needs to propagate to Apple’s servers before it can be picked up by devices and services that aren’t the name-changed iPhone itself.
Since the name you give your iPhone won’t be set in stone by any means, you can switch it to a different name of your choice whenever you wish, and you won’t experience any issues related to renaming as long as it is unique.
What Causes an iPhone’s Name to Keep Changing?
While the solution to the problem is pretty straightforward to apply, the fact that it merely acts as a convenient band-aid fix that doesn’t point us toward the culprit behind the occurrence of this odd problem means that there is still a mystery to be solved.
According to community feedback, the most likely culprit behind the occurrence of the iPhone name-changing issue is the presence of multiple iPhones that share the same device name in the same wireless network.
As users reported that they generally came across this issue when they connected to a crowded wireless network, such as the one at their office, and that it stopped happening when they stopped connecting to such a network, it’s highly likely that the existence of duplicate names in a wireless network is indeed the cause.
Another factor supporting this theory is that all users who have experienced this problem so far have been using the default device name for an iPhone (which is “iPhone”) and that the changed names are the same name with numbers appended to them.
Unfortunately, we don’t exactly know why the iPhone reacts to the presence of other iPhones in the network that share the same name in this way, but a minor software bug that will eventually be fixed is the most likely cause, as we don’t see much of a reason for this behavior to be intended.
What Happens When an iPhone’s Name is Changed?
Even though the name of your iPhone isn’t something you will be actively utilizing, there are a few areas where correctly naming your iPhone can come in quite handy and prevent confusing scenarios.
When you change the device name of your iPhone, you will be changing how your device identifies on AirDrop, on iCloud, on the Find My feature, on the networks that your iPhone is connected to, and on the Personal Hotspot feature.
Since AirDrop and Personal Hotspot, in particular, are public-facing features where you or someone else would require to correctly identify your device before interacting, changing your iPhone’s name to a unique one that makes it possible to identify the device belongs to you is often a good idea.
Considering that changing your iPhone’s name won’t have any adverse effects on how your device operates or won’t change your credentials for any of the Apple services, you can feel free to name your iPhone however you wish.
Conclusion
Even though there is no denying that experiencing the issue of your iPhone’s name changing consistently without any rhyme or reason can quickly become irritating, solving the problem is a pretty straightforward task that barely requires any effort or time to be spent once you know what to do.
To quickly recap, by swapping your iPhone’s device name to a unique one that is unlikely to be used by other iPhones in the wireless networks you’re connected to, you can easily prevent the automatic name-changing problem from occurring and not have to deal with it ever again.
Considering that changing the name of your iPhone to a unique one won’t cause any adverse effects and even bring some minor positives to the table, such as making it easier to identify the device, there isn’t much of a reason to keep the default name anyway.
Mark’s first real encounter with tech was when he had to format his computer with Windows 98 around the age of 6 to quickly get back to playing Heroes of Might and Magic III without having to send the computer in for a repair, which he strangely found to be rather enjoyable since it was a new challenge for him at the time.
While he has always been particularly interested in the software side of things, which eventually led to him becoming a software developer, he enjoys keeping up with the advancements in consumer electronics and smart home technology when he’s not busy coding.