What "favorite" means on your iPhone

A favorite on iPhone is a shortcut to something you use often — a contact, a website, a location, or an app. Instead of searching or scrolling every time, you mark it as a favorite and it appears at the top of that list or in a dedicated favorites section. The exact location and what you can favorite depends on which app you're using.

The most common use is marking contacts as favorites in the Phone app, so their names appear first when you open it. You can also favorite websites in Safari, locations in Maps, and songs or playlists in Music. Each app handles favorites slightly differently, but the basic idea is the same: you're telling your iPhone "I use this often, show it to me first."

Key Takeaways

  • Favorites in the Phone app appear at the top of your contacts list and let you reach frequent calls with one tap.
  • To add a phone favorite, open the Phone app, tap Contacts, find the person, and tap the star icon next to their name.
  • Safari favorites (bookmarks) are added by tapping the share button and selecting "Add Bookmark" or the star icon in the address bar.
  • Maps favorites let you save home, work, and other locations so you can start navigation without typing an address.
  • The star icon is the standard symbol for favorites across most iPhone apps, though some apps use different methods.

Adding a phone contact as a favorite

Open the Phone app and tap the Contacts tab at the bottom. Find the person you want to favorite by scrolling or searching. Tap their name to open their contact card. At the top right of the card, you'll see a star icon — tap it. The star fills in solid, which means that contact is now a favorite. When you open the Phone app again, that person will appear in the Favorites section at the top.

You can add as many favorites as you want. To remove someone from favorites later, open their contact card again and tap the filled star to unfill it. The contact stays in your phone — you're just removing it from the favorites list.

Saving websites as favorites in Safari

Open Safari and navigate to a website you want to save. Look at the bottom of the screen and tap the share button (it looks like a square with an arrow pointing out of it). A menu slides up from the bottom. Tap "Add Bookmark" and choose where to save it — usually "Favorites" is already selected. Tap "Save" and the website is added.

Alternatively, you can tap the star icon in the address bar at the top of Safari. This also opens the bookmark menu. Your saved websites appear in the Favorites folder, and you can access them by tapping the book icon at the bottom of Safari. If you want to organize them into folders or change their names, tap Edit in the Favorites view.

Marking locations as favorites in Maps

Open Maps and search for a location or tap on a place you want to save. When the location card appears at the bottom, tap it to expand it fully. Look for the star icon and tap it. The star fills in, and the location is saved to your favorites. You'll see it listed under Favorites the next time you open Maps.

This is especially useful for saving your home address, workplace, or places you visit regularly. When you want directions to a favorite location, you can tap it directly instead of typing the address. To remove a location from favorites, open its card again and tap the filled star.

Adding songs and playlists to favorites in Music

Open the Music app and find a song or playlist you like. Tap and hold on it — a menu appears with several options. Tap "Add to Favorites" or look for a heart icon and tap it. The song or playlist is now marked as a favorite. In some versions of Music, you'll see a filled heart icon next to items you've favorited.

Your favorite songs and playlists appear in the Library tab under a Favorites section, making them straightforward to find. This is different from adding songs to a playlist — favoriting is just marking something you like without creating a new list.

Why the star icon matters

Across most iPhone apps, the star icon is the standard way to mark something as a favorite. When the star is empty (outline only), the item is not a favorite. When it's filled in solid, it is. This consistency makes it easier to recognize the favorite button once you've used it in one app.

Some apps use a heart icon instead of a star, and a few use other symbols, but the principle is the same. If you're not sure whether something can be favorited, look for a star or heart icon near the item's name or in its details view. Tapping it will usually add it to your favorites.

Organizing and managing your favorites

In most apps, you can reorder your favorites by tapping Edit in the favorites view. In the Phone app, you can drag contacts up and down to change their order. In Safari, you can organize bookmarks into folders so your favorites stay organized as you add more.

If you add too many favorites, they become less useful — you'll have to scroll past them anyway. A good practice is to keep only the things you actually use frequently in your favorites list. Remove items you no longer need by tapping Edit and then the minus icon, or by tapping the filled star to unfill it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I favorite an app on my home screen?

Not in the traditional sense. However, you can organize your home screen by moving frequently used apps to the first page or creating a folder. You can also add app shortcuts to your lock screen in iOS 16 and later, which is a similar way to access apps quickly.

Do my favorites sync across my devices?

Yes, if you use iCloud. Phone favorites, Safari bookmarks, and Maps favorites sync automatically across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Make sure iCloud is turned on in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and that the relevant apps are toggled on.

What's the difference between a favorite and a bookmark?

In Safari, "bookmark" and "favorite" are often used interchangeably — both refer to saved websites. The main difference is that favorites appear in a dedicated section for quick access, while bookmarks can be organized into folders. A favorite is essentially a bookmark placed in the Favorites folder.

Can I favorite a text message or email?

In Mail, you can flag messages by swiping left and tapping the flag icon, which marks them for follow-up. In Messages, you can react to texts with emoji or pin important conversations to the top. These work similarly to favorites but are called by different names in each app.

Why don't I see a star icon on some items?

Not everything in every app can be favorited. The star icon only appears on items the app allows you to save. If you don't see a star, that item probably can't be added to favorites in that app. Try looking for alternative options like pinning, flagging, or adding to a list.