How to Manage Favorite Contacts on iPhone

Favorites enable one-touch calling, emailing, and texting

What to Know

  • Go to Phone app > Favorites > + > select the contact you want to add to Favorites and choose Message, Call, Video, or Mail.
  • To rearrange Favorites, go to Phone > Favorites > Edit and drag contacts where you want them.

This article explains how to add favorites to iPhone from the Contacts app or Phone app and edit or rearrange your Favorites list on iPhone models running iOS 10 or higher.

How to Add Favorites on iPhone

The iPhone's pre-installed Phone app makes it easier to call and text the people you talk to most by making them Favorites. When someone is a Favorite, just tap the person's name to immediately start a phone or FaceTime call, or open a new text or email.

Favoriting a contact on the iPhone requires that the person is already in your contacts. You need to know how to make a new contact or how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone if you're setting up a new phone.

Screenshots of adding Favorite contacts on iPhone
  1. Open the Phone app.

  2. Tap Favorites at the bottom of the screen.

  3. Tap + at the top.

  4. Choose the contact you want to add to the Favorites list. You can find them by searching, scrolling, or tapping a letter at the right side of the screen.

  5. Decide which type of communication you want to be the favorite: Message, Call, Video, or Mail. If the person has multiple details for one category (such as two phone numbers), tap the arrow to choose a specific one.

    The options you see in this menu depend on what type of contact information you've added for this person.

  6. After adding the Favorite, you'll go back to the Favorites screen and see the new favorite listed along with the contact type just below their name.

How to Rearrange Favorites on iPhone

You can change the order of your favorite contacts from the Phone app by following these steps:

Screenshots of rearranging favorite contacts on iphone
  1. Tap Favorites at the bottom of the Phone app.

  2. Tap Edit at the top.

  3. Locate the favorite contact you want to rearrange, then tap-and-hold the three-lined button to the right to get ahold of it. Without letting go, drag the contact up or down the list. Take your finger off the screen to drop the contact into the new order you want.

  4. Tap Done to save your changes.

If you have an iPhone 6S or newer, you can also view your Favorites by long-pressing on the Phone app. The first few contacts in your list of favorites are included in this pop-up window. Rearrange Favorites as described in the last section to choose which ones appear in the pop-up menu.

How to Delete Favorites on iPhone

Screenshots of deleting favorite contacts on iphone

You can remove a contact from the Favorites list to make room for others or declutter the list. Removing someone from the Favorites list is easy: Tap Edit on the Favorites screen, tap the red icon with the line in it, and then tap the Delete button.

If you want to remove the contact from the iPhone entirely, rather than just from the Favorites list, you'll need to delete the contact from your iPhone.

FAQ
  • How do I fix it when my iPhone favorites are not working?

    Sync your iPhone contacts with third-party accounts (like Google, Yahoo, etc.), double-check any linked contact information, and delete any duplicate info. Then, sign out and sign back in to your iCloud Account.

  • How do I add a website to my favorites on iPhone?

    To add websites to your favorites on iPhone, go to the URL in Safari and tap Share > Add Bookmark or Add to Favorites. To edit and rearrange bookmarks, go to the bottom of Safari and tap the Bookmarks icon > go to the list > select Edit.

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