The fastest way to change your iPhone favorites

Open the Phone app, tap the Favorites tab at the bottom, then swipe left on any contact and tap the trash icon to remove it. To add a new favorite, go to Contacts, find the person you want, tap the star icon next to their name, and they appear in your Favorites list. You can also long-press a contact in Favorites to drag it to a new position in the list.

Your Favorites list is separate from your full Contacts list — removing someone from Favorites does not delete them from your phone. The same contact can appear multiple times in Favorites if you want to save both their phone number and their email address, or their work line and personal line.

Key Takeaways

  • Swipe left on any favorite in the Phone app and tap the trash icon to remove it when ready.
  • Add a new favorite by opening Contacts, finding the person, and tapping the star icon next to their name.
  • Reorder your favorites by long-pressing and dragging a contact up or down the list in the Favorites tab.
  • One contact can appear in Favorites multiple times if you save different phone numbers or email addresses for them.
  • Removing someone from Favorites does not delete them from your Contacts — they stay in your phone.

Remove a favorite in three taps

Open the Phone app on your home screen. Tap the Favorites tab at the bottom — it looks like a star. Find the contact you want to remove and swipe your finger from right to left across their name. A red trash icon appears on the right side.

Tap the trash icon. The contact disappears from your Favorites list when ready. If you change your mind within a few seconds, tap Undo at the bottom of the screen. Otherwise, the removal is permanent, though the contact remains in your full Contacts list.

Add a new favorite from your contacts

Open the Contacts app (the icon that looks like a person's silhouette). Search for or scroll to the person you want to add. Tap their name to open their contact card. At the top right of the card, you will see a star icon — it may be filled in gray or outlined in gray depending on whether they are already a favorite.

Tap the star icon. It fills in solid red, and the contact is added to your Favorites list in the Phone app. The next time you open Phone and tap Favorites, they will appear there. If you tap the star again, it empties and they are removed from Favorites.

Reorder your favorites by dragging

Open the Phone app and tap Favorites. Long-press (hold your finger down) on any contact in the list. The contact card will slightly lift and show a handle on the right side. While still holding, drag the contact up or down to the position you want.

Release your finger when the contact is in the right spot. The list saves automatically — you do not need to confirm or tap anything else. You can reorder as many contacts as you want in one session. This is useful if you call certain people more often and want them at the top of your Favorites list.

Add the same contact twice with different numbers

If someone has both a work phone and a personal phone, or a phone number and an email address, you can add them to Favorites twice. Open Contacts and find the person. Tap their name to open their full contact card. You will see all their phone numbers and email addresses listed separately.

Tap the star icon next to the first number or address you want to favorite. It turns red. Then scroll down or look for the second number or address and tap its star icon as well. Both now appear in your Favorites list as separate entries, so you can call their work line or personal line directly without opening their full contact card first.

What happens when you remove a favorite

Removing someone from Favorites only removes them from that list in the Phone app. Their contact information stays in your Contacts app untouched. You can still call, text, or email them — you just have to search for them in Contacts or Recents instead of tapping them in Favorites.

If you remove a contact from Favorites and later want them back, open Contacts, find them, and tap the star icon again. There is no limit to how many times you can add and remove the same person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reorder my favorites on the lock screen?

No. The lock screen shows your top favorite contacts, but you cannot reorder them there. You must open the Phone app, go to Favorites, and drag them into the order you want. The lock screen will then show them in that new order.

What if I want to remove all my favorites at once?

There is no bulk delete option. You must swipe left on each favorite one at a time and tap the trash icon. If you have many favorites, this takes a few minutes, but it is the only way to clear the list.

Do my favorites sync across my devices?

Yes, if you use iCloud and have the same Apple ID on multiple devices. Your Favorites list syncs to your iPad, Mac, and other iPhones. Changes you make on one device appear on the others within a few seconds.

Can I create groups or folders for my favorites?

No. iPhone does not support organizing Favorites into folders or groups. Your only option is to arrange them in a single list by dragging them into the order you prefer.