[Complete Guide] How to Delete Contacts on iPhone 14/13/12
This guide will tell you how to delete contacts on iPhone, including the methods to delete multiple or all contacts.
Is there a quick way to delete contacts on iPhone?
Removing contacts from your iPhone is sometimes necessary for various reasons such as organizing your contacts or avoiding duplicate entries. However, deleting contacts can sometimes be challenging if you are unsure how to go about it. Deleting one contact on your phone is a breeze, but what about when you need to mass delete contacts on iPhone?
Luckily, there are a few methods you can use that make the process quick and easy. With iOS 16, you can take advantage of the long press function to efficiently delete multiple contacts. Additionally, you have the option to use iCloud or a third-party tool to delete multiple or even all of your contacts. In this article, we will explore these methods in detail. Just keep reading to see how to delete contacts on iPhone.
How to delete contacts on iPhone
To delete a specific contact from your iPhone, you can easily accomplish it through the Contacts application. Let’s see how to delete contacts on iPhone.
1. Launch the Contacts app.
2. Locate and select the contact you wish to remove.
3. Once you have the contact open, tap on the "Edit" button.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap "Delete Contact".
5. Confirm the deletion by tapping on "Delete Contact" again.
By following these steps, you will be able to delete a single contact from your iPhone. When a contact is deleted, it is permanently removed from the device. Similarly, if a contact is deleted from an email account, it will also be permanently removed from all devices connected to that email account.
How to delete multiple contacts on iPhone
Deleting contacts one by one can be time-consuming, so you might want to know how to delete multiple contacts on iPhone. In the past, deleting multiple contacts from your iPhone was a complex task that often involved utilizing iCloud. However, with the introduction of iOS 16, a convenient new feature has been introduced.
How to delete multiple contacts on iPhone
The new feature enables you to effortlessly remove multiple contacts from your iPhone by simply swiping your finger across the desired entries. This makes the process of deleting contacts much faster and more straightforward.
1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Locate the contacts you wish to delete and place your two fingers on the screen, pressing and holding the first contact. If there are other contacts adjacent to it that you want to delete, drag your fingers to select them.
3. Lift your fingers off the screen. If you want to add more contacts to the deletion group, repeat step 2 until all the desired contacts are highlighted.
4. Using a single finger, press and hold down on one of the highlighted contacts. After a moment, a pop-up menu will appear.
5. From the pop-up menu, select "Delete X Contacts" to remove the selected contacts from your device.
How to delete multiple contacts on iPhone via iCloud
Any contacts deleted from your iCloud account will also be automatically removed from your iPhone. For those who have not upgraded to iOS 16, you can use iCloud to delete multiple contacts on iPhone.
This method assumes that you have enabled contact syncing with iCloud. You can go to Settings > your name > iCloud > tap Show All > find Contacts and turn on the sync. If you prefer to delete multiple contacts using iCloud, here's how you can do it:
1. Open a browser and go to iCloud.com.
2. Log in using your Apple ID and click the Contacts icon.
3. Press and hold the Command key on a Mac or the Control key on a PC and select all the contacts you want to delete. They will be highlighted in blue as you select them.
4. In the lower-left corner of the screen, click on the gear icon.
5. From the pop-up menu, choose Delete.
6. Confirm the deletion by clicking on Delete in the dialogue box that appears.
To delete all contacts on iPhone at once, you can turn off the contacts sync. However, these contacts will still be saved in iCloud.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on your name to access the Apple ID menu.
- From there, select iCloud. Once the page opens, check if the toggle switch next to Contacts is enabled.
- If it is, simply tap on it to disable it. A prompt will appear, asking you to choose what you want to do with your contacts. Choose the option to delete them from your iPhone, and you're all set.
How to delete all contacts on iPhone permanently
Before lending your device to someone or giving it to a family member, it's important to delete any sensitive contact numbers. It's also a good idea to erase data when passing, donating, or selling your old phone.
In these cases, you can rely on the powerful FoneTool. This professional iOS data management tool not only supports iPhone transfers, backups, and restores, but it can also be useful for deleting all contacts on an iPhone.
🔸 The Privacy Erasure feature of FoneTool allows you to easily and securely delete all your iPhone contacts at once. This feature goes a step further by ensuring that the deleted contacts cannot be recovered.
🔸 If you think you may need these contacts in the future, FoneTool provides an option to backup your contacts. With FoneTool, you can preview and select the specific contacts you want to backup, giving you control over which contacts are saved.
To learn how to delete all contacts on your iPhone using FoneTool, follow these steps.
1. First, download and open FoneTool on your computer > connect your iPhone using the USB cable.
2. Next, go to the Toolbox section and select Data Erase. Go to Erase private data and click Get Started.
3. Choose the Contacts option or any other files you wish to delete.
4. If you want to ensure complete data removal, you can enable Deep Erase Technology.
5. Finally, click the Start Erase button to safely and securely delete the selected files.
Notes:
If you want to backup iPhone contacts, you can go to Phone Backup > Selective Backup to make it. More info: How to Backup Contacts on iPhone 14, 13, 12
If you want to view and manage your contacts on computer, you can go to Phone Transfer to transfer iPhone contacts to PC. More info: How to Export iPhone Contacts to Excel or CSV File.
Final words
That’s all about how to delete contacts on iPhone. You can use the long-press feature or iCloud to delete multiple contacts. If you are planning to give your iPhone to someone else, it would be advisable to utilize FoneTool, an application that can safely delete all your contacts. It is a reliable option for ensuring the removal of your personal information.
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Lena is an editor of FoneTool, she covers backup & restore,hard disk & partitions management and cloud files transfer and so on. She enjoys helping people find solutions to their problems. She loves traveling, eating, reading and so on. She takes most of time with her family when she is not working.
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