How to Use Discord on iPhone or iPad (Beginner’s Guide)

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To use Discord on an iPhone or iPad, install the free Discord app from the App Store, open it, and tap Register to create an account (or log in if you already have one). Then join a server with an invite link, tap a text channel to chat, and use the Messages tab for private conversations with friends.

Discord is a chat app built around communities called servers. It handles text, voice, and video, and it works the same way on iPhone and iPad. This guide walks through setup, the main parts of the app, and the notification and safety settings worth checking on day one.

Quick Answer

  1. Install Discord from the App Store and open it.
  2. Tap Register, enter your phone number or email, follow the prompts, add your date of birth, and tap Register.
  3. Tap an invite link, or tap + in your server list, choose Join a Server, and paste the invite.
  4. Tap a text channel to read and send messages.
  5. Use the Messages tab for direct messages (DMs) and group chats.
  6. Tap your profile icon, then the gear icon, to adjust notifications and privacy.

In This Guide

Before You Start: Requirements and Age Rules

This guide covers the Discord app on iPhone and iPad as of September 2026, based on Discord’s own support articles. Discord updates its app often, so icons and labels can move slightly between versions.

You’ll need:

  • An iPhone or iPad with the App Store and an internet connection.
  • A phone number or email address you can access, to register and verify your account.
  • To meet Discord’s minimum age. Discord says you must be at least 13 to use it, and in some countries the minimum is higher, up to 16. If Discord learns an account holder may be under the minimum age, it states that the account will be permanently suspended.

Discord is free. Nitro, the paid subscription, adds extras such as a higher server limit, but you don’t need it for anything in this guide.

Discord also uses age assurance, a process to confirm whether you’re a teen or an adult. According to Discord, most people can use the app without it, but you may be asked to confirm your age group to access age-restricted servers or channels, view sensitive media unblurred, or change certain safety settings. Discord lists the United Kingdom, Australia, and Brazil as regions where this is required by law.

Install Discord and Create an Account

  1. Open the App Store, search for Discord, and tap Get on the app published by Discord. If you’re new to installing apps, see how to install an iPhone application. Expected result: the Discord icon appears on your Home Screen.
  2. Open Discord and tap Register.
  3. Enter your phone number or email address. Double-check the spelling of your email: Discord warns that a typo can prevent you from changing it after registration.
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts to fill in the rest of your details, such as your display name, username, and password.
  5. Enter your date of birth and tap Register. Use your real birthday, since Discord uses it to apply age rules and teen protections.
  6. If Discord sends a verification code or email, complete that step. Expected result: you land in the app, signed in to your new account.
  7. When iOS asks whether Discord can send notifications, choose Allow if you want alerts. You can change this later.

Log In to an Existing Account

  1. Open Discord and tap the option to log in.
  2. Enter your email address or phone number, then your password. Phone login works only if your phone number is already verified on your account.
  3. If you use two-factor authentication (a code from an authenticator app or text message in addition to your password), enter the code when asked.

Discord also supports QR code login, where a signed-in phone scans a code shown on a computer to log that computer in. It’s a handy way to get onto Discord on a desktop without typing your password.

Find Your Way Around the App

Discord’s mobile app has four buttons along the bottom of the screen:

Tab What it’s for
Servers The communities you’ve joined, shown as icons in a column on the left, plus their channels.
Messages Your direct messages and group chats.
Notifications Mentions, replies, and friend requests.
You Your profile, status, and the gear icon for app settings.

A few terms you’ll see everywhere:

  • Server: a community space, usually invite-only, for a group of friends, a club, a class, or a fan community.
  • Channel: a room inside a server. Text channels are for typed messages; voice channels are for talking and video.
  • DM: a direct message, a private chat between you and another person or a small group.
  • Mention: tagging someone by name in a message so they get notified.

Join or Create a Server

Join a server with an invite

  1. If a friend sends you an invite link, tap it. Discord opens and shows the server. You can adjust options such as your server nickname and whether members can DM you before you accept.
  2. Tap Accept (or Join) to join. Expected result: the server’s icon appears in your server list.

If you have an invite code or link copied instead:

  1. Tap Servers, then tap the + icon in your server list. Scroll down the list if you don’t see it.
  2. Tap Join a Server.
  3. Paste the invite link or code, then tap Join.

You can be in up to 100 servers on a free account, or 200 with Nitro.

Create your own server

  1. Tap the + icon in your server list.
  2. Tap Create My Own. (You can also start from a template.)
  3. If asked, choose whether it’s for a community or for you and your friends. You can skip this if you’re not sure.
  4. Enter a server name and, if you like, upload an icon.
  5. Tap Create. Expected result: your new server opens with default channels.
  6. Invite people by sharing the invite link Discord offers.

You can change the name and icon later, so don’t worry about getting it perfect.

Use Text and Voice Channels

Text channels

  1. Tap a server icon, then tap a channel name (text channels usually start with a # symbol).
  2. Type in the message box at the bottom and tap send.
  3. Touch and hold a message to see more options, such as replying, adding a reaction, or editing and deleting your own messages (the exact options can vary by app version). For deleting, see how to delete messages on Discord on iPhone.

Read a server’s rules or welcome channel first. Many communities have specific rules for each channel.

Voice channels

Voice channels, marked with a speaker icon, work like an open room: anyone in the server with access can see who’s there and drop in without ringing anyone.

  1. Tap a voice channel.
  2. Tap the join button that appears (the label may read Join Voice or similar, depending on app version). If iOS asks for microphone access, allow it so others can hear you.
  3. Use the on-screen controls to mute your microphone, turn on your camera, or switch audio output.
  4. Tap the disconnect or leave button when you’re done.

Send Direct Messages and Make Calls

  1. Tap the Messages tab.
  2. Tap the New Message icon.
  3. Choose one friend for a one-on-one DM, or select several friends to start a group chat. Discord allows up to 10 friends in a group DM.
  4. Type your message and send it.

To call someone, open your DM with them and tap the phone icon in the top-right corner. Tap the speaker icon to switch between the earpiece and speaker, and tap the End Call icon to hang up.

To add a friend, you’ll need their username. Friend requests appear in your notifications, and you control who can send them in your privacy settings (below).

Control Notifications

Busy servers can send a lot of alerts. You can control them at three levels.

For a whole server

  1. Open the server and tap its name at the top.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Choose All Messages, Only mentions, or Nothing.
  4. Optionally, turn on options to suppress everyone and here mentions, suppress role mentions, or mute the server for 15 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, or until you turn it back on.

Only mentions is a good starting point for large servers: you’ll still hear about messages aimed at you.

For a single channel

In the same server notification screen, use Notification Overrides to give specific channels or categories their own setting, for example all messages from an announcements channel while the rest of the server stays quiet.

For the whole app

On your iPhone or iPad, open Settings > Notifications > Discord. Here you can turn all Discord notifications on or off and choose banners, sounds, badges, and lock screen previews. Discord’s own settings (the gear icon in the You tab) may include additional notification options.

Privacy and Safety Settings

Discord’s privacy controls are in the app settings. Tap You, then the gear icon, and look for Content & Social.

  • Direct messages from server members: go to Content & Social > Server Settings and turn Direct messages off if you don’t want people from shared servers to DM you. You can adjust this per server.
  • Friend requests: in Content & Social > Friend Requests, choose who can send you requests: Everyone, Friends of Friends, and/or Server Members.
  • Blocking: open someone’s profile from the member list or your DMs, tap the three-dot menu, and tap Block.

Teen accounts get extra protections by default. According to Discord, those defaults blur direct messages from friends, block direct messages from others, and blur direct messages in server channels, and changing them to show that content requires age verification.

A few habits that help: don’t click unknown links or download files from strangers, never share your password or login codes, and report accounts that harass you. Parents can find more on these settings in Discord’s blocking and privacy settings guide.

Troubleshooting

I’m not getting notifications

Check Settings > Notifications > Discord on your device, then check the server’s notification setting isn’t set to Nothing or muted. Focus modes on iPhone and iPad can also silence alerts.

An invite link says it’s invalid or expired

Invites may be set to expire or to work only a limited number of times. Ask the person who shared it for a new link.

I can’t join any more servers

Free accounts can join up to 100 servers. Leave servers you no longer use, or subscribe to Nitro for a limit of 200.

People can’t hear me in voice

Make sure you’re not muted in Discord and that Discord has microphone access in your device’s Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone.

My account was locked for age

If you meet the minimum age for your country, Discord offers an appeal process through its support site. See Discord’s article on why it asks for your birthday.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Discord free on iPhone and iPad?

Yes. The app and core features are free. Nitro is an optional paid subscription.

How old do you have to be to use Discord?

At least 13, and older in some countries (up to 16), according to Discord.

Can I use the same account on my phone and computer?

Yes. Log in with the same email or phone number and password, or use QR code login to sign in on a computer.

What’s the difference between a server and a DM?

A server is a community with many channels and members. A DM is a private conversation with one person or a small group of up to 10 friends.

How do I stop strangers from messaging me?

Turn off Direct messages under Content & Social > Server Settings, limit who can send friend requests, and block anyone who bothers you.

Why is Discord asking me to verify my age?

Discord asks for age confirmation when you try to access age-restricted content or change certain safety settings, and it’s required in some regions, including the UK, Australia, and Brazil.

Summary

  1. Install Discord from the App Store and tap Register (you must be at least 13, or older in some countries).
  2. Join servers through invite links or the + icon.
  3. Chat in text channels and drop into voice channels.
  4. Use the Messages tab for DMs, group chats, and calls.
  5. Set server notifications to Only mentions and review Content & Social privacy settings.

Next step: open Discord’s Getting Started on Mobile guide, then set notifications for the first server you join using Discord’s mobile notification settings guide.

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