What "Favorites" means and why you'd use it
Favorites on iPhone is a list of people you contact most often. When you mark someone as a favorite, their name appears at the top of your Contacts app and in your Phone app, so you can reach them faster without scrolling. You can also add a favorite contact directly to your home screen as a shortcut that calls or texts them with one tap.
The main reason to use Favorites is speed. If you call your mother every morning or text your partner throughout the day, marking them as a favorite saves you three or four taps each time. You can have as many favorites as you want — there is no limit — though most people keep the list to people they actually contact regularly.
Favorites live in two places on iPhone: in the Contacts app (where they appear in a separate section at the top) and in the Phone app (where they appear in a "Favorites" tab). The two lists are the same list; marking someone as a favorite in one place marks them as a favorite everywhere.
Key Takeaways
- Open the Contacts app, find the person's name, tap "Add to Favorites" at the bottom of their card, and choose whether you want to call or text them.
- You can also add a favorite by opening the Phone app, tapping the Favorites tab, tapping the plus sign, and selecting a contact.
- Once someone is a favorite, their name appears in a separate section at the top of both your Contacts and Phone apps.
- You can remove someone from Favorites by opening their contact card and tapping "Remove from Favorites", or by swiping left on their name in the Favorites tab and tapping the trash icon.
Adding a favorite 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.
Scroll to the bottom of the card. You will see a button that says "Add to Favorites". Tap it. A menu will appear asking whether you want to add them as a call favorite or a text favorite. Choose one. If you choose "Call", tapping their name in Favorites will dial them. If you choose "Text", tapping their name will open a text message to them.
You can add the same person twice — once as a call favorite and once as a text favorite — if you want both options. After you tap your choice, the button will change to say "Remove from Favorites", which means they are now saved.
Adding a favorite through the Phone app
Open the Phone app. At the bottom of the screen, tap the "Favorites" tab (it looks like a star). In the top right corner, tap the plus sign.
A list of your contacts will appear. Scroll or search to find the person you want to add, then tap their name. You will see the same choice as before: call or text. Select one, and they will be added to your Favorites tab.
This method is faster if you already have the Phone app open, but it does the same thing as adding through Contacts.
Removing someone from Favorites
If you no longer want someone in your Favorites list, you have two options. The first is to open the Contacts app, find their name, tap it to open their card, scroll to the bottom, and tap "Remove from Favorites".
The second is to open the Phone app, tap the Favorites tab, find the person's name, swipe left across it, and tap the trash icon that appears. Either method removes them when ready.
If you added the same person twice (once for calls and once for texts), you will need to remove them twice — once for each type.
Adding a favorite contact to your home screen
You can go one step further and put a shortcut to a favorite contact directly on your home screen. This lets you call or text them without opening any app at all.
Open the Shortcuts app (it comes built into iPhone). Tap the plus sign in the top right corner. Tap "Create Shortcut". In the search bar, type "Call" or "Text" depending on what you want to do. Tap the result that appears.
A menu will ask you to choose a contact. Tap "Choose" and select the person you want. Then tap "Next" in the top right. You can rename the shortcut if you want (for example, "Call Mom" instead of just "Call"). Tap "Add to Home Screen" in the top right, then "Add" in the bottom right. The shortcut will now appear on your home screen as an icon you can tap to call or text that person when ready.
What happens when you mark someone as a favorite
Marking someone as a favorite does not change their contact information or send them any notification. They will not know you added them to Favorites. It is purely a tool for your own phone to help you reach people faster.
Favorites are stored on your iPhone itself. If you use iCloud to back up your phone, Favorites will be included in that backup, so if you get a new iPhone and restore from backup, your Favorites list will come with you. If you do not use iCloud backup, you will need to add Favorites again on a new phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I organize my Favorites list in a specific order?
Yes. Open the Phone app, tap the Favorites tab, tap "Edit" in the top left, then tap and hold the three horizontal lines next to each name to drag them into the order you want. Tap "Done" when you are finished. The order you set will appear in both the Phone app and the Contacts app.
What is the difference between a call favorite and a text favorite?
A call favorite opens the dial screen when you tap it; a text favorite opens a new message. You can add the same person as both types if you want quick access to both actions. They will appear as separate entries in your Favorites list.
Will my Favorites sync to other devices?
If you use iCloud and have Contacts syncing turned on, your Favorites will appear on your iPad and Mac as well. Check Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and make sure Contacts is toggled on. If you do not use iCloud, Favorites stay on that iPhone only.
Can I add a business or group chat to Favorites?
You can add a business contact to Favorites the same way you add a person. For group texts, open the conversation in the Messages app, tap the group name at the top, scroll down, and tap "Add to Favorites". This works the same as adding a person.