How to Add to Favorites on iPhone
Favorites turns one tap into a call, a message or a FaceTime call. Here is where the list lives in the current Phone app, and in Safari and Photos.
If you are wondering how to add to Favorites on iPhone, the short version is this: open the Phone app, tap Edit on the Calls tab, tap Edit Favorites, then tap the plus button and pick a contact. You can also open a contact card and tap Add to Favorites.
Favorites is a shortcut list. Tapping a favorite starts the exact action you chose when you added it, so one tap can place a call, start a FaceTime video call, open a message thread or begin an email.
Where that list lives changed with the Phone app redesign. iPhones running the newer Unified layout show favorites at the top of the Calls tab instead of in a separate Favorites tab, which is why the steps below start there.
How to add to Favorites on iPhone in the Phone app
These steps follow the Unified layout, which is the default on current iPhones.
1. Open the Phone app and tap the Calls tab at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Edit, then tap Edit Favorites.
3. Tap the plus button in the upper-right corner.
4. Find the person in your contact list and tap their name.
5. Choose what the favorite should do: messaging, calling, video calling or email.
6. Tap the phone number or email address you want that shortcut to use, then tap Done.
The person now appears at the top of the Calls tab. Apple's documentation notes that up to eight favorites are shown there; if you have more, tap Show All to see the full list.
You can add the same contact more than once. A partner with both a Call favorite and a Video favorite simply occupies two slots.
Add a favorite from the contact card instead
This route works regardless of which Phone layout you use, and it is usually quicker when you already have the person on screen.
1. Open Contacts, or the Contacts tab in the Phone app, and tap the person's name.
2. Scroll down the contact card and tap Add to Favorites.
3. Choose the action you want, then tap the number or address it should use.
If your iPhone still has a Favorites tab
The older Classic layout puts five tabs along the bottom of the Phone app: Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keypad and Voicemail. There, you tap Favorites, then the plus button in the top corner, and pick a contact.
You can move between the two designs. On the Calls tab (Unified) or the Recents tab (Classic), tap the Filter button in the upper-right corner, then choose Classic or Unified at the top of the menu. A blue checkmark marks the one in use.
Safari and Photos keep their own favorites
The word appears in more than one app, and the lists are unrelated. In Safari, open the page, tap the menu button beside the address bar, then use the share options to reach Add to Favorites and tap Save. Some iOS versions label this Add Bookmark to and ask you to set the location to Favorites instead, so check which wording your iPhone shows.
In Photos, open a picture or video and tap the heart. It turns blue, and the item joins the Favorites album under the Albums tab.
What adding a favorite does not do
A favorite is a shortcut, not a permission. It does not change how calls from that person are treated until you link the two in Settings.
To let favorites reach you while a Focus is on, open Settings, tap Focus, tap Do Not Disturb, tap People, then tap Allow Calls From and choose Favorites. Each Focus has its own setting, so repeat it for any others you use.
Removing a favorite also leaves the contact itself alone. The entry disappears from the shortcut list and the contact card stays in your address book.
Common questions
How do I remove or reorder favorites? In the Unified layout, tap Edit, tap Edit Favorites, then tap the minus button next to the one you want gone. To reorder, touch and hold a favorite and drag it to a new position.
Why can I not add someone? Favorites are built from saved contact details. If the person has no phone number or email address on their card, add one first and the option becomes usable.
Do favorites sync to my other Apple devices? The contacts themselves sync through iCloud, and keeping them tidy helps; our guide to merging duplicate contacts on iPhone covers that side of it.
If the option is not there
If you cannot find Edit Favorites, check which tab you are on. The control sits on the Calls tab in the Unified layout and does not appear on the Keypad or Voicemail screens.
If you were looking for a dedicated Favorites tab and it is gone, your iPhone is on the Unified layout; the Filter button described above switches it back. And if your aim was quieter calls rather than faster ones, see how to turn on Do Not Disturb on iPhone.
