What "Favorites" means and why you'd use it

Favorites on an iPhone is a list of people you contact most often. When you add someone to Favorites, their name appears at the top of your Contacts app and in your Phone app, so you can reach them faster. You can also create a Favorites group in your Messages app to see texts from those people first.

The main reason to use Favorites is speed. Instead of scrolling through your full contact list or searching for a name, you tap once and call or text someone you talk to regularly. If you have 200 contacts but call the same five people most days, Favorites cuts the friction.

Favorites are stored on your phone only — they do not sync to iCloud or other devices unless you turn on iCloud Contacts in your settings. If you restore your iPhone from a backup, your Favorites come back. If you set up a new phone without a backup, you start with an empty Favorites list.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the Contacts app, find the person's name, tap Edit, then tap the star icon to add them to Favorites.
  • You can also add someone to Favorites by opening the Phone app, finding their name in Recents, swiping left, and tapping the star.
  • Favorites appear at the top of your Contacts app and in a separate section in the Phone app for quick access.
  • You can remove someone from Favorites the same way you added them — by tapping the star icon again to toggle it off.

Adding a contact to Favorites through the Contacts app

Open the Contacts app on your home screen. Scroll or search until you find the person you want to add. Tap their name to open their contact card.

Tap the Edit button in the top right corner. You will see a star icon near the top of the card, usually to the left of the contact's name or photo. Tap that star — it will fill in with color (usually red or gold, depending on your iPhone settings) to show the contact is now in Favorites. Tap Done in the top right to save the change.

That contact now appears in a Favorites section at the very top of your Contacts app. The next time you open Contacts, you will see them listed first, before your alphabetical contact list.

Adding a contact to Favorites from the Phone app

Open the Phone app and tap the Recents tab at the bottom. You will see a list of people you have called or texted recently. Find the person you want to add to Favorites.

Swipe left on their name. A star icon will appear on the right side of their entry. Tap the star to add them to Favorites. The star will fill in to confirm they have been added.

This method is useful if you do not have the person's contact card open but you remember calling or texting them recently. It is faster than opening Contacts and searching for their name.

Adding a contact to Favorites from Messages

Open the Messages app and find a conversation with the person you want to add to Favorites. Swipe left on their name or conversation thread. A star icon will appear. Tap it to add them to your Messages Favorites.

This creates a separate Favorites list in Messages, not in your main Contacts app. People in your Messages Favorites appear in a pinned section at the top of your conversation list, making it easier to find threads you use most often. You can have different people in your Contacts Favorites and your Messages Favorites — they do not have to be the same.

Removing someone from Favorites

To remove a contact from Favorites, open the Contacts app and find their name in the Favorites section at the top. Tap their name to open their card, then tap Edit. Tap the star icon again — it will empty out, showing they are no longer in Favorites. Tap Done to save.

You can also remove someone from Favorites in the Phone app by opening Recents, swiping left on their name, and tapping the star again to toggle it off. The process is the same in Messages — swipe left and tap the star to remove them from your Messages Favorites list.

Organizing multiple Favorites

iPhone does not let you reorder Favorites or create groups within Favorites the way some Android phones do. Your Favorites appear in the order you added them in the Contacts app, though the Phone app may sort them differently based on how often you call each person.

If you want to organize people by category — family, work, close friends — you can use contact groups instead. Open Contacts, tap Groups in the top left, then tap New Group to create a category. Add people to that group, and you can view them together without using Favorites. Groups and Favorites serve different purposes: Favorites is for speed, while groups are for organization.

Syncing Favorites across devices

If you use iCloud Contacts, your Favorites sync to other devices signed in with the same Apple ID — iPad, Mac, or another iPhone. To turn on iCloud Contacts, go to Settings, tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud. Toggle Contacts on. Your Favorites will begin syncing within a few minutes.

If you do not use iCloud Contacts, your Favorites stay on that phone only. If you get a new iPhone and restore from a backup, your Favorites come back. If you set up the new phone as new without a backup, you will need to add your Favorites again manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a contact to Favorites if they are not in my contact list?

No. You can only add someone to Favorites if they already have a contact card in your Contacts app. If you have their phone number in your Recents or Messages but no saved contact, create the contact first, then add them to Favorites.

What is the difference between Favorites and pinned contacts?

Favorites is a feature in the Contacts and Phone apps. Pinned contacts is a feature in Messages that lets you pin individual conversations to the top of your thread list. You can pin a conversation without adding that person to Favorites, and vice versa.

Will my Favorites show up on my Apple Watch?

Yes, if your Apple Watch is paired with your iPhone and synced through iCloud. Your Favorites appear in the Contacts app on your watch, letting you call or text them directly from your wrist.

Can I add a group or business contact to Favorites?

Yes. Any contact in your Contacts app — individual, business, or group — can be added to Favorites using the same star icon method. Tap Edit on the contact card and tap the star.