The new iOS launched this year brought the possibility to further personalize our contacts, including configuring the favorites so that it is easy to contact a person with a shortcut to the communication we prefer: phone, message, email, etc.
See in this article how to set up bookmarks so that you can more easily contact the people you need the most.
The list of favorites in your contacts is where you put the contacts you use most, whether for work or personal reasons. But the list is not just for phone calls, it can even include messengers like Skype and WhatsApp.
In iOS 9, the shortcuts for contacts existed only for those who had iPhone 6s, with 3D Touch (the strong pressure on the Phone icon opens the shortcuts). But in iOS 10 it is possible to put the same shortcuts as a widget in the Control Center, which works on any iPhone.
Check out the step by step how to build your list of favorites.
Creating the favorites list
Step 1: open the Phone app and tap the tab Bookmarks.
Step 2: touch the “+” button in the upper left corner.
Step 3: search for the contact you want to add to your favorites. Tap it and choose what you want that shortcut to do: FaceTime, call, email, etc. Later on we will teach you how to include WhatsApp as well.
Step 4: go back to the favorites screen and you will see the contact you just added. Repeat the process to add other contacts, and by the button To edit you can organize their order.
Adding WhatsApp in contact
You can add instant messaging apps to your contacts, like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and others. See how:
Step 1: open the Phone app and tap the tab Contacts.
Step 2: select the contact you want to change and tap the button To edit, in the upper right tale.
Step 3: scroll down until you find the option ‘add instant message‘.
Step 4: by touching it, a new field is opened. By default ‘Skype’ appears, but you can change this by tapping on it and choosing the app you want. In this example, we will choose WhatsApp.
Step 5: enter your contact’s phone number.
Step 6: tap the ‘OK’ button at the top of the screen. Ready.
Adding the favorites widget
In order for the new shortcuts to be easily available, you will need to add the Favorites widget in the Control Center.
Step 1: pull the Control Center on the iPhone, placing your finger at the top of the screen and dragging it down until the panel appears.
Step 2: drag this panel from left to right to view the widgets.
Step 3: scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see a button called ‘To edit‘. Touch it.
Step 4: scroll down until you find the ‘Favorites’ option. If it has a red ball, it is already installed. If the ball is green, touch it to add the widget.
Step 5: drag the widget to the top of the list to make it more convenient to access shortcuts.
Now every time you need to call a favorite, just pull up the Control Center and use the shortcut. The ideal is that you do not get stuck in contacts there, as this ends up making you lose the practicality of shortcuts. And adjust the order of the favorites so that the most used ones appear at the top.
Original content © iPhone Blog
