How to Create a New Contact on Your Phone

Edited 3 days ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Creating a new contact on your phone is a basic task that helps you manage and organize the contact details of your friends, family, colleagues, or any other acquaintance. This explanation will guide you through the steps to add a new contact on your phone, making sure every detail is clear and easy to follow. Whether you're using an Android phone or an iPhone, the process is largely the same with a few minor variations. This guide will cover both types of devices.

Create a new contact on Android

Follow these steps to create a new contact on an Android phone:

1. Open the Contacts app: Find and open the Contacts app on your Android phone. This app usually has an icon that resembles an image of a person or a phonebook.
2. Tap the Add Contact button: Look for a button that allows you to add a new contact. It's often represented by a plus sign ("+") or the word "Add" in the bottom right corner of the screen.
3. Enter contact information: You'll see a form to fill out various fields. You'll need to:
   • Name: Enter the contact's first and last name.
   • Phone number: Enter their phone number. You can also specify if it's a mobile, home, or work number.
   • Email: Add their email address if you have it. This field is optional but can be useful.
   • Address: If you have the contact's physical address, you can add that too.
   • Additional Information: You can also add other details like last name, company name, job title, birthday, and any notes you may have about them.
4. Save the contact: Once you've filled in all the required information, look for a "Save" button or an icon that looks like a check mark. Tap it to save the new contact.

Create a new contact on iPhone

Follow these steps to create a new contact on iPhone:

1. Open the Contacts app: Find and open the Contacts app on your iPhone. You can also access your contacts through the Phone app under the "Contacts" tab.
2. Tap the Add Contact button: Look for a button that allows you to add a new contact. This is often represented by a plus sign ("+") or a button that says "New Contact" in the upper right corner of the screen.
3. Enter contact information: You'll see a form to fill out various fields. You need to:
   • Name: Enter the contact's first and last name.
   • Phone number: Enter their phone number. You can also specify if it's a mobile, home, or work number.
   • Email: Add their email address if you have it. This field is optional but can be useful.
   • Address: If you have the contact's physical address, you can add that too.
   • Additional Information: You can also add other details like last name, company name, job title, birthday, and any notes you may have about them.
4. Save the contact: Once you've filled in all the required information, look for a "Done" button or an icon that looks like a check mark. Tap it to save the new contact.

Create a new contact from a phone call

If you have a missed call or a recent call from a number that you want to save as a contact, you can follow these steps to create a new contact directly from the call log:

On Android:

1. Open the Phone app: Find and open the Phone app on your Android phone.
2. Go to the call log: Tap the "Recents" tab to view your call history.
3. Select a phone number: Find the number you want to save and tap it.
4. Add to Contact: You'll see the option to add the number to a contact. Tap "Add to Contact" or "Create New Contact."
5. Enter contact information: Enter the required information like name, email, and address.
6. Save contact: Tap "Save" to store the contact details.

On iPhone:

1. Open the Phone app: Find and open the Phone app on your iPhone.
2. Go to the call log: Tap the "Recents" tab to view your call history.
3. Select a phone number: Find the number you want to save and tap the circular "i" icon next to it.
4. Create a new contact: You will see the option "Create a new contact." Tap on it.
5. Enter contact information: Fill in the required information like name, email, and address.
6. Save contact: Tap "Done" to store the contact details.

Edit an existing contact

Sometimes you may need to update or correct information in an existing contact. Here's how you can edit an existing contact on both Android and iPhone:

On Android:

1. Open the Contacts app: Find and open the Contacts app on your Android phone.
2. Select a contact: Scroll through your list of contacts or use the search bar to find the contact you want to edit. Tap the contact's name to open the contact details.
3. Tap the Edit button: Look for the "Edit" option or an icon that looks like a pencil or editing icon. Tap it to enter editing mode.
4. Make changes: Edit the information as needed. You can change the name, phone number, email, address, or any other details.
5. Save changes: Once done, tap "Save" to keep the information updated.

On iPhone:

1. Open the Contacts app: Find and open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
2. Select a contact: Scroll through your list of contacts or use the search bar to find the contact you want to edit. Tap the contact's name to open the contact details.
3. Tap the Edit button: Look for the "Edit" option in the top right corner of the screen. Tap it to enter editing mode.
4. Make changes: Edit the information as needed. You can change the name, phone number, email, address, or any other details.
5. Save changes: Once done, tap "Done" to keep the information updated.

Contact sync

Syncing your contacts ensures that your contact information is backed up and accessible across different devices. Here's how you can sync your contacts:

On Android:

1. Open Settings: Find and open the Settings app on your Android phone.
2. Go to Accounts: Scroll down and tap "Accounts" or "Users & accounts."
3. Choose your Google account: Tap your Google account. If you have multiple accounts, choose the one you want to sync your contacts with.
4. Turn on sync: Make sure the "Contacts" option is turned on for sync. You may have to tap "Sync Account" to see the different options.
5. Manual sync: If necessary, you can force a manual sync by tapping the three-dot menu and selecting "Sync now."

On iPhone:

1. Open Settings: Find and open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Go to Accounts & Passwords: Scroll down and tap "Accounts & Passwords" (or "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" on older versions).
3. Choose your account: Tap the account (iCloud, Gmail, etc.) you want to sync your contacts with.
4. Turn on Contacts: Make sure the "Contacts" option is turned on.
5. Manual sync: For iCloud, you may not need to sync manually as it syncs automatically. For other accounts, make sure the sync option is enabled.

Deleting a contact

If you no longer need a contact, you may want to delete it. Here's how you can delete a contact on both Android and iPhone:

On Android:

1. Open the Contacts app: Find and open the Contacts app on your Android phone.
2. Select a contact: Scroll through your list of contacts or use the search bar to find the contact you want to delete. Tap the contact's name to open the contact details.
3. Delete a contact: Look for the menu option (usually represented by three dots) and select "Delete" or the delete icon. Confirm your choice to delete the contact.

On iPhone:

1. Open the Contacts app: Find and open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
2. Select a contact: Scroll through your list of contacts or use the search bar to find the contact you want to delete. Tap the contact's name to open the contact details.
3. Delete a contact: Tap "Edit" in the upper right corner, then scroll down and select "Delete Contact." Confirm the contact deletion.

Merging duplicate contacts

Over time, you may have duplicate contacts on your phone. Merging these duplicates can help keep your contacts organized. Here's how you can merge duplicate contacts on both Android and iPhone:

On Android:

1. Open the Contacts app: Find and open the Contacts app on your Android phone.
2. Open the menu: Look for the menu option, usually represented by three horizontal lines or three dots in the upper corner.
3. Choose Merge Contacts: In the menu, look for an option like "Merge Contacts" or "Manage Contacts." Tap it.
4. Choose a merge option: Your phone may offer options to merge contacts with the same name, phone number, or email address. Choose your preferred option.
5. Confirm merge: Review the list of duplicate contacts and confirm the merge.

On iPhone:

1. Use iCloud: The easiest way to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone is to use iCloud.
   • Go to iCloud.com: Open a web browser and go to iCloud.com. Sign in with your Apple ID.
   • Open Contacts: Click the Contacts icon.
   • Find duplicates: Search for duplicates manually or use a third-party tool to help you find and merge duplicate contacts. Unfortunately, iCloud doesn't provide an automatic duplicate finder, so this may require some manual effort.

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