Access your contacts on an Apple Watch

The Contacts app is a handy way to keep track of all the people in your life, and with the update to watchOS 8, it’s now accessible from your Apple Watch. Here’s how to manage your contacts from your wrist.

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Update WatchOS

To use the app, you must be running watchOS 8 or later on your watch and iOS 15 or later on your iPhone. Open the Watch app on your phone or the Settings app on your watch. Go to General > Software Update. You’ll be told that your Apple Watch is up to date or prompted to download the latest update.

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Set display names

Open the Watch app on your phone and select Contacts to control how your contacts are sorted and displayed. Set the app to mirror my iPhone if you want the sort to match what’s on your iPhone. You can also select: Amended to use a different order on your watch.

Select sort order to sort the names by first name then last name or last name then first name. Select Display order to choose how the contacts are displayed on your watch. To create nicknames for your contacts, choose Short name.

If a name is now too long to appear in full on the screen, you can choose to display it as first and last name, initial and last name, first name only, or last name only. Switch Prefer nicknames to see any custom nicknames you’ve given to your contacts.

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To open the contacts app on your Apple Watch, go to your home screen and tap the person icon. You will see your iPhone’s contacts appear on your watch as well. Swipe down the list and tap a contact to view that person’s info card.

To remove a contact, open the card and tap Delete contact. Crane Delete contact again to confirm deletion.

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If you just want to edit a contact, open that person’s card and select the edit option. Tap in a field that contains existing information to change it. For example, select the field for first name, last name, or company name. On the screen to edit the existing text, press the backspace button to delete any characters.

You have a number of options for adding new information. If you have an Apple Watch Series 7, tap or slide the characters on the built-in QuickPath keyboard. All watch models support voice dictation and Scribble mode to draw characters. You can also type directly from your iPhone. A notification will appear on your phone asking you to enter the text using the iOS keyboard.

To delete an existing field and piece of information, tap remove. Additional bits of information can be added by adding the . to select Add button for that field if you want to enter a phone number, email, or physical address. You can also choose to categorize the contact information by home, work, school or mobile.

You can also work with your own business card. Tap your card at the top of the Contacts app to view it. Swipe down to the bottom of the map and tap edit to change your name, phone number, email address or other contact details.

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To share a contact with someone else, tap Share contact at the bottom of the contact card. The person you want to send the contact information to can appear at the top of the screen. Otherwise, tap the Messages icon to send a text message or tap Mail to write an email.

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You can also add new contacts directly from Apple Watch if you select New contact from the top of the Contacts app. Tap each field and enter the required information. When you’re done, tap Done At the bottom.

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The Contacts app does more than just store information; you can also use it to interact with people directly. The fields you fill in on a contact’s info card are links so you can tap them to communicate with someone else. Select a phone number to call that person, an email address to write an email, or an address to find their home or work address on a map.

You can also communicate with a contact using the icons at the top of that person’s card. Press Telephone icon to call the contact via a cellular signal or via FaceTime Audio. Press Messages icon to send a text message. Press Mail icon to send them an email.

When the Walkie-Talkie mode is set, tap the Walkie talkie icon to communicate with the person directly through your watch.

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Finally, you can access your contacts directly from various apps on your Apple Watch.

• To call someone in your contact list, open the Phone app and tap the entry for Contacts.
• To email someone, open the Mail app and tap the New Message button. Then tap the Add Contact button to access your contacts.
• To text someone, open the Messages app, tap the new message button and select the option to Add Contact.
• To share your location with a contact, open the People Search app, swipe down and select the Share my location item. Tap the People icon to see your contacts.