How to Change a Thumbnail in the People Album on iPhone & iPad

By Leanne Hays Updated 04/16/2025

Apple's Photos app shows a key photo or thumbnail for each person included in the People album on your iPhone or iPad. Here's how to change that thumbnail in a few easy steps.

Why You'll Love This Tip

Pick your favorite photo as the thumbnail photo for each person in your iPhone People album.
Change up featured photos on your iPhone as people age and switch up their style.

How to Change a Featured Image in the People Album on iPhone

System Requirements

This tip was checked on an iPhone 16 running iOS 18.5. Learn how to update to the latest operating system.

Can you change the thumbnail for a person in the People album on your iPhone or iPad? Of course! Here's how to change people's profile pictures in Photos in the People album super quickly.

Open the Photos app.
Tap a person in the People & Pets album you want to change the profile picture for.

Touch and hold the photo you’d like to use as the person's key photo.
Tap Make Key Photo.

When you go back to the People & Pets album, you'll see the new thumbnail photo.

Now you know how to change the thumbnail photo for each person and pet in the People & Pets album on your iPhone and iPad. For more great Photos app tutorials, check out our free Tip of the Day.

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Author Details

Leanne Hays

Leanne Hays has over a dozen years of experience writing for online publications. As a Feature Writer for iPhone Life, she has authored hundreds of how-to, Apple news, and gear review articles, as well as a comprehensive Photos App guide. Leanne holds degrees in education and science and loves troubleshooting and repair. This combination makes her a perfect fit as manager of our Ask an Expert service, which helps iPhone Life Insiders with Apple hardware and software issues.
In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.

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