In today’s fast-paced world, keeping your contact list up-to-date is crucial for personal and professional communication.
With the ever-growing contact list on your iPhone, it’s essential to manage and declutter it by removing outdated or unnecessary contacts.
This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to delete an iPhone 13 contact using various methods, including managing iCloud and email account syncing, contact suggestions, and deleting multiple contacts simultaneously.
Deleting Contacts on an iPhone: Explained
There are several ways to delete contacts on your iPhone, and we will discuss them in detail below. These methods work across most recent iOS versions and iPhone models, including iOS 16 and iPhone 13.
Video About Deleting iPhone Contacts
Method 1: Deleting Contacts Through the Phone App
The Phone app is a primary method for many users to add, edit, and delete contacts. To delete a contact using the Phone app:
Step 1: Open the Phone app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Tap the Contacts tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step 3: Select the contact you wish to delete.
Step 4: Tap Edit in the top-right corner of the screen.
Step 5: Scroll to the bottom and tap Delete Contact.
Step 6: Confirm the deletion by tapping Delete Contact again.
Now that you know how to delete an iPhone 13 contact using the Phone app, you might be curious about some other option that you can use to complete this task.
Related: If you have an email account on your iPhone that you aren’t using, then you can read this article about deleting iPhone email accounts.
Method 2: Deleting Contacts Through the Contacts App
This method is similar to the previous one, but it starts with the default Contacts app instead of the Phone app.
- Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
- Select the contact you wish to delete.
- Tap ‘Edit‘ in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap ‘Delete Contact.’
- Confirm the deletion by tapping ‘Delete Contact‘ again.
Method 3: Disabling iCloud Contacts
If you prefer not to use iCloud for contact management, follow these steps to disable iCloud contacts on your iPhone:
- Open the ‘Settings‘ menu.
- Tap your name card at the top of the menu.
- Select ‘iCloud.’
- Toggle the switch next to ‘Contacts‘ to disable it.
- Choose ‘Delete from My iPhone‘ to remove iCloud contacts from your device.
Method 4: Stopping Contact Suggestions from Apps
To disable contact suggestions from apps on your iPhone:
- Open the ‘Settings‘ menu.
- Scroll down and select ‘Contacts.’
- Toggle the switch next to ‘Contacts Found in Apps‘ to disable contact suggestions.
Method 5: Stopping Contact Syncing from Email Accounts
To stop syncing contacts from an email account:
- Open the ‘Settings‘ menu.
- Scroll down and select ‘Mail.’
- Tap ‘Accounts.’
- Select the email account you want to stop syncing contacts from.
- Toggle the switch next to ‘Contacts‘ to disable it.
- Tap ‘Delete from My iPhone.”
We hope that the various methods provided in this guide have equipped you with the necessary knowledge to delete unwanted contacts from your iPhone. If you’re seeking additional ways to free up storage space by removing other items from your device, our comprehensive iPhone deletion guide will serve as a valuable resource.
Deleting Multiple Contacts on iPhone
If you have a large number of contacts on your iPhone, you might be more interested in learning how to delete multiple contacts simultaneously rather than just one.
We previously discussed using iCloud for contact management in our third method. The iCloud website also allows you to delete multiple contacts at once. However, if you prefer to accomplish this task using tools on your device, iCloud might not be the ideal solution.
Deleting multiple contacts directly from your iPhone isn’t possible using the default apps, but it can be done with a third-party app. Simply visit the App Store and download the Groups app, which enables you to display all your contacts and select the ones you want to remove.
Frequently Asked Questions About Deleting iPhone Contacts
Can I delete multiple iPhone contacts at once?
If you find that you need to delete a significant number of contacts from your phone, you may want to explore methods for deleting multiple contacts at once.
In one of the methods above, we mentioned using iCloud to manage contacts. You can also delete multiple contacts simultaneously through the iCloud website. However, if you prefer to use your device’s features for this purpose, you can download a third-party app called Groups from the App Store. This app offers the functionality needed to manage contacts in bulk.
How can I remove previously synced iCloud contacts?
If your phone is syncing contacts exclusively from iCloud, you can easily hide all contacts from that account. Simply navigate to Settings > tap your Apple ID Card > choose iCloud > tap Show All under Apps using iCloud > and turn off Contacts.
Can I check for duplicate contacts on my iPhone?
If you sync data to iCloud or have multiple email accounts set up on your iPhone, you may have duplicate contacts. While you can manually delete duplicates using the methods mentioned earlier, an automated option or tool to merge duplicate contacts might be more efficient.
To merge multiple duplicate contacts on your iPhone, open the Contacts app and tap the View Duplicates button beneath your card at the top of the screen. On the following screen, you can choose the Merge All option to consolidate these contacts into a single entry.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.