There is something quietly satisfying about glancing at an incoming call and instantly knowing who it is — not from a name on a plain screen, but from their photo filling the whole display. Both iPhone and Samsung phones can do this, but the feature hides behind menu names you would never guess: **Contact Posters** on iPhone and **Call Background** on Samsung. Set up once, your favorite people arrive with a full-screen photo, and if you make your own poster, your contacts see *you* in full screen too. Here is exactly how it works on both platforms, what it looks like when you answer, and what to do when the photo refuses to appear.

Why a full-screen caller photo is worth setting up

A tiny round thumbnail next to a name is easy to misread at a glance — especially with the phone across the room. A full-screen photo removes all doubt: mom's face fills the display, so you answer. It also works as a visual ringtone of sorts; pair it with a per-contact ringtone on iPhone or on Android, and you can identify the caller by both sight and sound without looking closely at the screen.

Set your Contact Poster on iPhone (iOS 17 and later)

A Contact Poster is the full-screen visual other people see when you call them — your photo, Memoji, or initials with custom typography, much like a lock screen. It shows in the Phone app, FaceTime calls, and third-party calling apps that support it (for example WhatsApp, when the app opts in). Note that your contacts only see your poster if their iPhone runs **iOS 17 or later**; on older software, your call arrives with the old plain screen.

  1. Open the **Phone** app and tap the **Contacts** tab at the bottom.
  2. Tap your name at the top — your **My Card**.
  3. Tap **Contact Photo & Poster**.
  4. Make sure **Name & Photo Sharing** is turned on (the people you choose decide who sees it).
  5. Tap **Customize** under **Poster**.
  6. Choose a style: **Camera** to take a new photo, **Photos** to pick one from your library, **Memoji**, or **Monogram** for initials.
  7. Swipe through the filters and tap the name to change the font and color. Pinch to reposition the photo.
  8. Tap **Continue** to preview, then **Done** to save.

Create a Contact Poster for someone else

If a contact has not set their own poster (or still uses an old iPhone), you can make one for them so *their* calls look full-screen on *your* phone:

  1. Open **Contacts** and tap the contact.
  2. Tap **Contact Photo & Poster**.
  3. Choose **Camera**, **Photos**, **Memoji**, or **Monogram** and design it the same way as above.
  4. Tap **Done**. From now on, their calls arrive with your custom poster instead of the plain grey screen.

If that contact later creates and shares their own poster, your version is replaced automatically — they always have the final word on how they look.

Set a Call Background on Samsung Galaxy

Samsung splits this into two things: a **call background** (the photo or video shown behind every incoming call screen) and a per-contact **profile card**. You can even use a short video — a nice option if you want motion instead of a still.

Change the default call background (applies to all calls)

  1. Open the **Phone** app and tap the **three-dot menu** in the top-right corner.
  2. Tap **Settings**, then **Call background**.
  3. Tap **Background** to see the featured options.
  4. Tap the **+ icon** to pick a photo or video from your **Gallery** (videos must be under 15 seconds; longer ones get a trim prompt).
  5. Tap **Set as call background**.

Set a different background or full-screen photo per contact

On One UI 5 and later you can give individual contacts their own background, and One UI 6.1 added a full-screen **profile card** per contact:

  1. Open **Contacts** and tap the contact.
  2. Tap **Edit**, then tap **Create profile card** (top of the editor).
  3. Pick a photo from your Gallery.
  4. Add optional text, and try the effects — font styles, greyscale or blurred backgrounds, pastel and oil-paint filters, even an AI portrait restyle.
  5. Tap **Done**. Their photo now fills your screen when they call.

What about other Android phones?

Stock Android (Pixel, Motorola, Nothing) shows a large circular contact photo on the call screen, but there is no built-in full-screen photo mode like Samsung's. Your realistic options: add a proper photo to the contact (tap the camera icon in the contact editor), or install a third-party caller-ID app from the Play Store — check recent reviews carefully, since these apps request call-handling permissions.

Troubleshooting: when the photo does not show

Frequently asked questions

**Does my Contact Poster show on Android phones?**
No. Posters only render on iPhones running iOS 17 or later. Android callers see a normal incoming-call screen.

**Can I use a video as my iPhone Contact Poster?**
Not a live video — Contact Posters use photos, Memoji, or monograms. Samsung phones, by contrast, accept short videos as call backgrounds.

**Will the full-screen photo slow down my phone or eat battery?**
No meaningful effect. A poster or call background is a static image (or a 15-second clip on Samsung) shown for the few seconds the call rings.

**Can contacts opt out of seeing my poster?**
They cannot block one specific poster, but anyone can turn off poster display entirely: their iPhone simply shows the standard call screen.

Limitations to know before you start

Official sources