How to Find, Add, or Edit a Contact on iPhone

To edit a contact on iPhone, open the Contacts app, tap the person, and tap Edit. You can change or add a photo, phone number, email address, birthday, notes, pronunciation, pronouns, or a label, then tap Done (the checkmark) to save.

These steps follow Apple’s Edit contacts on iPhone, Add or edit your contact info and photo, and Use contacts from the Phone app guides for iOS 27. Below you will find how to edit any contact, add a photo, update your own card, save a recent caller, and choose which line a Dual SIM iPhone uses.

Create a New Contact Before Editing It

Open Contacts and tap the Add (+) button. Enter the person’s name, tap add phone or add email for the details you need, and choose the appropriate labels. Tap Done or the checkmark to save. Find the name in Contacts and reopen the card to confirm that the number and email were saved correctly. Apple’s contact-creation guide documents starting a new card; the editing steps below explain its fields.

On older iPhones such as iPhone 5, 7, SE, 12, and 14, the same Contacts app and + button start a new entry, with Done to finish. You can also use Phone > Contacts > + in the older Phone layout. A new card is separate from adding another number to a card you already have; search first to avoid creating duplicates. Saving a contact does not send that person a message or invitation.

How to edit a contact

1. Open the Contacts app. You can also open the Phone app and tap Contacts.
2. Tap the contact.
3. Tap Edit.
4. Enter or update the information, such as a phone number, email address, birthday, notes, or a label like Work or Home. If international calls to a saved number fail, add the country code or see how to turn off Dial Assist on iPhone.
5. Tap Done (the checkmark).

Result: the changes save right away and sync to your other devices if you use iCloud Contacts.

How to add a photo to a contact

1. Open the contact and tap Edit.
2. Tap Add Photo (or the current photo) at the top.
3. Pick a photo from your library or take one, or choose a Memoji, emoji, or monogram.
4. Move and scale the photo, then tap Choose and Done.

Result: the photo shows on calls, messages, and in your contacts list. If you would rather not see photos in your text list, you can hide the contact pictures next to text messages. Photos make it easier to tell apart contacts with the same first name.

How to add pronouns to a contact

1. Open the contact and tap Edit.
2. Tap add pronouns, choose a language, select the pronouns, and tap Add.

Result: Apple says pronouns appear on the card. When you share another person’s contact, their pronouns are never shared.

How to edit your own contact card

1. Open Contacts and tap My Card at the top.
2. Tap Edit and update your name, address, phone number, or birthday.
3. Tap your photo to choose an avatar and Contact Poster, and turn on Name & Photo Sharing if you want others to see them.

Result: Apple notes that editing My Card also updates the information Safari uses for AutoFill.

How to save a recent caller as a contact

1. Open the Phone app and go to your recent calls.
2. Tap the number.
3. Tap Create New Contact, or tap Add to Existing Contact and choose a contact.

Result: the number is saved, and future calls show the name.

Choose a line for a contact (Dual SIM)

Apple says iPhones with Dual SIM use the same line you used last time with that contact. To pick a preferred line, open the contact, tap default below the name, and choose a line for calls and messages.

If you only want to remove someone from quick access in the Phone app, see how to remove a contact from Favorites on iPhone. That leaves their contact card available. To remove the card completely, see how to delete a contact on iPhone.

Sort Contacts by First Name

1. Open Settings, tap Apps, then Contacts.
2. Tap Sort Order and select First, Last.
3. Open Contacts and check the alphabetical list.

Sort Order controls the alphabetical order of the list. Display Order controls whether each name is written first-name-first or last-name-first. To change both, set Display Order to First, Last as well. This does not rewrite anyone’s saved name.

On older iOS versions, Contacts is directly in Settings. On early iPhone 5 software, open Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, scroll to the Contacts section, and choose Sort Order > First, Last. Apple explains the current options in Manage and delete contacts.

Add an Address or Emoji and Share a Contact by Email

To add a street address, open the person’s card in Contacts, tap Edit > add address, fill in the street, city, postal code, and other relevant fields, choose the label, and tap Done. Reopen the card to check it. To put an emoji in a saved name, edit that name field, switch to the emoji keyboard, insert the character, and save. This changes your saved card; a Contact Poster or photo is a separate field.

To email the card, open it and tap Share Contact. On current iOS, choose the fields to include and finish that selection, then choose Mail, address the draft, check the attachment and recipient, and send when ready. Apple’s contact-sharing guide documents choosing fields. On the older iPhone 5 layout, Phone > Contacts > the person > Share Contact > Email creates the contact-file draft. Share only the details the recipient needs; forwarding a card differs from typing an address in a message.

Find a Saved Contact’s Phone Number

Open Contacts, search for the person’s name or scroll to it, then open their card. Read the number beside the appropriate label, such as mobile, home or work. If several numbers are saved, check the label rather than assuming the first is the one you need. You do not need to tap the number and start a call. On an iPhone 6 with iOS 8, you can also open Phone > Contacts and select the person. If you cannot find the Contacts app, swipe down from the middle of the Home Screen and search for Contacts. This finds another person’s saved number; My Card and the device’s own number are separate information. If the person is missing, review the displayed contact list and account before creating a duplicate.

Stop Contact Suggestions From Apps on iOS 10

On the iPhone 7 Plus with iOS 10.3.3 used in the original tutorial, open Settings > Contacts and turn Contacts Found in Apps off. Check the switch state and the next contact suggestion from Mail or another supported app. This removes unconfirmed app-derived suggestions from the Contacts list and stops that older suggestion feature; it does not delete contact cards you already saved. Turn the same switch back on to restore suggestions. Current iOS versions can use different suggestion controls, so do not look for this old switch on every iPhone or delete stored contacts to accomplish the same task.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change how contacts are sorted?

Go to Settings › Apps › Contacts to change how your contacts are sorted and displayed.

Can a contact have more than one phone number or email?

Yes. While editing, tap add phone or add email again for each extra entry, then tap the label to mark it as mobile, home, work, or another type.

Related: How to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone, How to set a ringtone for a contact, and How to duplicate a photo on iPhone (handy if you want to keep an uncropped copy of a contact photo).

You can also use a contact card to add friends on Game Center.