How to Remove Favorites From the iPhone Phone App

Relationships change—so should your Phone Favorites

By
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Writer
  • Ithaca College
Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others.
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Updated on December 21, 2020
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
Jon Fisher headshot
Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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What To Know

  • To delete: Phone > Favorites > Edit. Tap the red circle with a minus sign, and confirm with Delete.
  • To rearrange: Phone > Favorites > Edit. Press and hold the three line icon, drag the contact into place, and press Done.

This article explains how to delete and rearrange your iPhone Favorites almost as easily as adding people to your Favorites list. Instructions in this article apply to iOS 13, iOS 12, iOS 11, and iOS 10.

How to Delete iPhone Favorites

To delete a contact from the Favorites screen in the Phone app:

  1. Tap the Phone app.

  2. Tap Favorites.

  3. Tap Edit.

    The Phone app icon, Favorite button and the Favorites screen on an iPhone
     Lifewire

  4. A red circle icon with a minus sign appears next to each favorite in the list. Tap the red icon next to the Favorite you want to delete.

  5. Tap the Delete button that appears to the right of the contact to remove the favorite.

    Edit button, minus button and Delete button in Favorites on the iPhone
     Lifewire

  6. The newly updated Favorites list displays.

This only deletes the Favorite. It does not delete the contact from your address book. The contact information isn't lost.

For a faster way to delete a Favorite, open the Phone app, go to Favorites, then swipe right to left across the contact you want to delete.

How to Rearrange iPhone Favorites

To change the order of favorites:

  1. Tap the Phone app to launch it.

  2. Tap Favorites.

  3. Tap Edit.

  4. Tap and hold the three-line icon so that the favorite hovers above the rest of the list. On an iPhone with 3D Touch, if you press too hard a shortcut menu appears.

  5. Drag the contact to a different position in the Favorites list.

    The Edit button, moving icon and moved Contact on the iPhone's Favorites screen
     Lifewire

  6. When your Favorites are arranged the way you want, tap Done to save the new order.

Make incoming calls for your contacts show full-screen photos with just a few steps.

How to Select Contacts Using the 3D Touch Menu

On iPhone 6 series and newer iPhones, the 3D Touch screen offers one other way to reach your Favorites. Hard press the Phone app icon to display a shortcut menu. This menu offers easy access to three favorite contacts (or on larger screens like the iPhone X, four contacts).

The 3D Touch shortcut for the Phone app displays your top three (or four) favorite contacts. In iOS 11, iOS 12, and iOS 13 the contacts are displayed in the same order as you see them on the Favorites screen.

Pop-up 3D touch Favorites screen on iOS
Lifewire

In iOS 10, the contact in the first position on your Favorites screen shows up in the lower-right corner of the shortcut menu. This way it's easy to tap your most commonly used contact.

To change which contacts show in the shortcut or to change their order, rearrange your contacts on the Favorites list.

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