How to get rid of the “Finish Setting Up Your iPhone” alert

It’s common to skip optional setup steps like enabling Siri or setting up Apple Pay when setting up a new iPhone. However, if you do, you’ll keep seeing the “Finish Setting Up Your iPhone” message at the top of the Settings app. While meant to guide you through completing setup, it can be quite annoying if you intentionally chose to skip those steps.

Fortunately, there are effective ways to remove this persistent alert. Let’s walk through how to fix it!

Why are you getting the “Finish Setting Up Your iPhone” alert?

The “Finish Setting Up Your iPhone” alert is Apple’s subtle reminder that you missed certain setup steps. These typically include:

• Signing into your Apple Account
• Enabling Siri
• Setting up Apple Pay
• Configuring Face ID or Touch ID
• Enabling iCloud services or iCloud Backup

If you skipped any of these during initial setup—either knowingly or unknowingly—your iPhone keeps prompting you until you complete or dismiss them properly.

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How to remove the “Finish Setting Up Your iPhone” alert

There are several ways to remove this alert based on your situation:

1. Use the “Set Up Later in Settings” option

If you’re not interested in setting up services like Siri or Apple Pay right now (or ever), you can manually skip them:

1. Open the Settings app and tap the Finish Setting Up Your iPhone alert.
2. Tap the service you skipped earlier.
3. When prompted, select Set Up Later in Settings.
4. Repeat for all skipped services.

Once done, the alert should disappear.

2. Complete the suggested setup steps (Siri, Apple Pay, etc.)

If you prefer a clean Settings page, completing the setup steps is the quickest way:

1. Open Settings → tap Finish Setting Up Your iPhone.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete all remaining setups.
3. Once completed, the message should vanish permanently.

3. Toggle Apple services (Quick Bypass trick)

Sometimes, minor incomplete settings (like missing Siri options) can cause the alert to stick around.

Here’s how to refresh Apple service settings:

1. Go to Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri.
2. Tap Talk & Type to Siri.
3. Toggle off Press Side Button for Siri and Type to Siri.
   
   
4. Wait a few seconds, then toggle them back on.

This trick often forces your iPhone to recognize that everything is properly configured.

4. Force quit settings app or restart your iPhone

A minor glitch can sometimes keep the alert stuck.

Here’s how to clear it:

1. Open the App Switcher by swiping up from the bottom and holding.
2. Swipe up on the Settings app to force close it.
   
   

Relaunch Settings and check if the alert is gone. If not, restart your iPhone and check again.

5. Sign out and back into your Apple account

In rare cases, a sync glitch with your Apple Account could cause the issue.

To fix:

1. Go to Settings → tap [Your Name] → Sign Out.
   
   
2. Wait a few seconds, then sign back into your Apple Account.

After signing back in, the alert should disappear.

6. Check for Software update

If a system bug is causing the alert to persist, updating your iPhone can fix it:

1. Open Settings → General → Software Update.
   
   
2. Download and install any available update.

Apple often patches minor bugs with routine updates.

Can you permanently dismiss the alert?

Yes, in most cases. Once you either complete the setup steps or properly skip them using the “Set Up Later in Settings” option, the alert should not return.

However, if an issue remains unresolved—like an unverified Apple Pay card, incomplete Siri configuration, or iCloud sync error—the alert may reappear until it’s addressed.

Is it safe to ignore the “Finish Setting Up Your iPhone” alert?

Absolutely. This alert isn’t a security warning or a system-critical issue. It’s simply a reminder to activate features like Siri, Apple Pay, or iCloud.

While these services are useful, your iPhone will function perfectly fine without setting them up. So, if you prefer not to complete them, feel free to ignore the notification after dismissing it.

Beat the “Finish Setting Up” alert

The “Finish Setting Up Your iPhone” alert is helpful for first-time users—but for seasoned users or those who intentionally skip setup steps, it quickly becomes a nuisance.

The good news is, you can easily remove it by following these solutions.

Have you experienced this persistent alert? Drop your experience in the comments—especially if you found another clever way to make it go away!

Related articles worth reading:

• How to remove a fake Apple security alert on iPhone and why you’re getting it
• How to fix iPhone keeps asking for Apple ID password
• How to fix an iPhone stuck on “Home Would Like to Send You Critical Alerts”