Apple’s Contacts app simply obtained its largest replace ever. For the reason that first iPhone in 2008, there have solely been minor upgrades right here and there to the way you handle and work together with contacts. That modifications with iOS 16.
The final main function Contacts obtained was emergency contacts that might break by means of Do Not Disturb mode, and that was on iOS 10. Earlier than that, iOS 7 gave us the flexibility to AirDrop contacts and add social profiles for them; iOS 6 allow us to search all fields and set customized vibrations per contact for textual content messages; and iOS 5 added household relation fields. None of these updates evaluate to the one beneath.
These modifications additionally seem on iPadOS 16 for iPad, which is nonetheless in beta.
1. Merge Duplicate Contacts Extra Simply
The Contacts app on macOS has had a function to search out and merge duplicate contacts for some time now, since not less than Mac OS X Tiger in 2005 when Contacts was nonetheless referred to as Deal with Ebook. And now, the brand new iOS 16 replace lastly brings it to iPhone.
When your iPhone detects a number of entries for a similar contact throughout all of your accounts, you will see a brand new “Duplicates Discovered” part on the high of your “All Contacts” record with the variety of duplicates it discovered. Faucet “View Duplicates,” and you’ll choose to merge each contact directly or choose every contact to view the data first and merge them individually.
2. Create and Handle Contact Lists
Maybe an important addition to the Contacts app on iOS 16 is group administration, which has been out there on macOS and iCloud seemingly eternally. Whilst you may view teams in your iPhone, you can not do something past hiding or displaying total teams.
Now, you may have whole management over contact teams. You may create, delete, and rename lists throughout accounts like iCloud and Gmail, in addition to add and take away contacts from them. There’s truly quite a bit to indicate off about working with contact lists, so take a look at our full information on contact lists for all the main points.
3. E mail or Message Contact Lists
Beforehand, you can e-mail total contact teams from throughout the Mail app, however you could not begin a message from Contacts. Now you’ll be able to, and you too can create a gaggle dialog within the Messages app. Faucet the mail icon in a listing to start out an e-mail, or long-press a listing’s identify from the Lists view and select both “E mail All” or “Message All.” It’s also possible to swipe proper on a listing’s identify and hit the mail or message icon.
4. Export Contact Lists
As you’ll be able to see above, while you long-press a contact’s identify, fast actions seem that allow you to e-mail all of them, message all of them, rename the record, and delete the record. There’s additionally one other new function to “Export” the record. You may share it by means of all the standard channels, add it to a Fast Notice, or put it aside to your recordsdata.
5. Drag and Drop Contacts
There are quite a few methods so as to add a contact to a listing, however dragging and dropping does not use any of the standard menus these different methods do. Earlier than, you could not drag a contact off of any record, however now you’ll be able to, and you’ll drop them on some other record or in some other app.
While you press and drag a contact from a listing, it’s going to flip right into a floating contact card. Then, you’ll be able to open one other app like Messages and drop it the place you want it or drag it over the “Lists” button, watch for the Lists view to open, then drop it onto a listing.
6. Unread Messages/Missed Name Alerts within the Widget
On iOS 15, you can faucet an individual on a Contacts widget to view a wealth of details about them, and that is nonetheless the case on iOS 16. There are fast hyperlinks to message, FaceTime, or e-mail them; the newest emails and messages from them; fast entry to shared hyperlinks and recordsdata, photographs shared with you, shared calendar occasions, and extra.
What’s new is that the Contacts widget itself will inform you in case you have any unread messages or missed FaceTime or telephone calls from them.
7. Filter Fields When Sharing Contacts
While you need to share somebody’s telephone quantity or e-mail handle with out revealing any of the opposite private information you may have saved in Contacts — reminiscent of their birthday, social profiles, residence handle, full identify, nickname, different telephone numbers, different e-mail addresses, and so forth. — now you can filter that info out.
After opening the share sheet for a contact, you will discover a new “Filter Fields” button underneath their identify on the high. Faucet it, and you may see each bit of information on the contact card as a guidelines. You may verify or uncheck each merchandise till you are left with what you need to share.
8. Extra Memoji Stickers and Poses for Contacts
You may already select a Memoji sticker for a contact’s image, however you had been restricted to 12 poses or a customized pose utilizing your front-facing digicam. Apple opens it up on iOS 16 to any Memoji sticker, not only a choose few. There are even three fully new poses only for contact photographs.
To set a Memoji as a contact picture, open up the contact’s card from Contacts, Cellphone, Messages, or some other app the place you’ll be able to view contacts. Choose “Edit,” then “Edit” or “Add Photograph” underneath the contact’s picture or monogram. Select the sticker you need, faucet “Subsequent,” transfer and scale it, faucet “Select,” and put it aside with “Executed.”
9. Extra Fast Actions for Contacts
On iOS 15, long-pressing a contact would reveal a contextual menu with choices for messaging, calling, FaceTiming, emailing, or paying the contact (left screenshot beneath). On iOS 16, there are new Copy, Share, Make This My Card, and Delete Contact choices (proper screenshot beneath).
10. Sport Middle Integration
Whereas Sport Middle hasn’t been essentially the most helpful service on iPhone, you will have simpler entry to seeing what video games your mates are taking part in and the way they’re doing. The Contacts app will record all of your Sport Middle pals’ profiles, so you do not have to enter the Settings app to search out them. This function will come to iOS 16 in a later replace.
11. Lock Display screen Widgets
Lock display widgets are one of the crucial wonderful new iOS 16 options, and Apple has developed a couple of for apps reminiscent of Calendar, Clock, and Reminders. Nevertheless, Apple didn’t make a lock display widget for the Contacts app. Nonetheless, third-party apps also can make lock display widgets, and some price mentioning embody:
Relying on the app, you’ll be able to create widgets for single contacts or teams to name, e-mail, message, FaceTime, or contact them in one other approach. You may even simply add a hyperlink to your favourite contacts.
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