View source for Contacts (Apple)

{{short description|Address book software by Apple}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Refimprove|date=September 2008}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Contacts
| logo = MacOS Contacts icon.png
| logo_size = 64px
| screenshot = Contacts iOS 17.PNG
| caption = Contacts on [[iOS 17]]
| collapsible              Morning = 
| developer = [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]
| released = 
| latest release version = 13.0
| latest preview version = 
| latest preview date = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| frequently updated = 
| programming language = 
| operating system = {{ubl|[[macOS]]|[[iOS]]|[[iPadOS]]|[[watchOS]]}}
| platform = 
| size = 
| language = 
| status = 
| genre = [[Address book#Software address book|Software Address Book]]
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
}}
'''Contacts''' is a computerized [[address book]] software included with the [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] operating systems [[iOS]], [[iPadOS]], [[watchOS]] and [[macOS]]. It includes various [[Data synchronization|cloud synchronization]] capabilities and integrates with other Apple applications and features, including [[iMessage]], [[FaceTime]] and the [[iCloud]] service (and previously its predecessor [[MobileMe]]).

==History==
An application known as '''Address Book''' was included with Mac OS X from its release in 2001 and in preceding [[beta version]]s.<ref name="GUIdebook" /> Address Book was rewritten for [[Mac OS X Jaguar]] (2002) and as of 2020 has remained in roughly the same form ever since.<ref name="Siracusa Jaguar review p12">{{cite web |last1=Siracusa |first1=John |title=Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar review |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2002/09/macosx-10-2/12/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |date=September 5, 2002 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629172817/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2002/09/macosx-10-2/12/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="GUIdebook">{{cite web |last1=Wichary |first1=Marcin |title=Screenshots: Address Book |url=https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/addressbook |website=GUIdebook |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629022453/https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/addressbook |url-status=live }}</ref> 

The [[iPhone]] also included contacts storage from its release,<ref name="Thurrott iPhone review 2007">{{cite web |last1=Thurrott |first1=Paul |title=10 Years Later: My Original (and Epic) Apple iPhone Review |url=https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/ios/120552/10-years-later-original-epic-apple-iphone-review |website=Thurrott |date=June 29, 2017 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629223613/https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/ios/120552/10-years-later-original-epic-apple-iphone-review |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Horwitz iPod touch review 2007">{{cite web |last1=Horwitz |first1=Jeremy |title=Review: Apple iPod touch (8GB/16GB/32GB) |url=https://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/apple-ipod-touch-8gb-16gb |website=iLounge |date=September 17, 2007 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219115613/https://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/apple-ipod-touch-8gb-16gb |url-status=live }}</ref> which starting from [[iPhone OS 2]] (2008) was also broken out into a standalone application.<ref name="iMore Ritchie iOS 2">{{cite web |last1=Richie |first1=Rene |author-link1=Rene Ritchie |title=iPhone OS 2.0 review |url=https://www.imore.com/iphone-os-2-review |website=[[iMore]] |date=July 14, 2008 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407094006/https://www.imore.com/iphone-os-2-review |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2010, the [[iPad]] with [[iOS 3.2]] introduced a new two-pane contacts app, featuring the [[skeuomorph]]ic design style popular with Apple around this time under the leadership of [[Scott Forstall]].<ref name="Mathis skeuomorphism">{{cite web |last1=Mathis |first1=Joel |title=Why I'll miss skeuomorphism in iOS |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/2042263/why-ill-miss-skeuomorphism-in-ios.html |website=Macworld |access-date=28 June 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728210242/https://www.macworld.com/article/2042263/why-ill-miss-skeuomorphism-in-ios.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Dilger">{{cite web |last1=Dilger |first1=Daniel Eran |title=In-depth review: Apple's IPad and iPhone OS 3.2 |url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/09/in_depth_review_apples_ipad_and_iphone_os_3_2 |website=AppleInsider |date=April 9, 2010 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730170618/https://appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/09/in_depth_review_apples_ipad_and_iphone_os_3_2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Verge iOS visual history">{{cite web |title=iOS: A visual history |url=https://www.theverge.com/2011/12/13/2612736/ios-history-iphone-ipad |website=[[The Verge]] |date=December 13, 2011 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=April 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412015548/http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/13/2612736/ios-history-iphone-ipad |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Segall2012">{{cite book|author=Ken Segall|title=Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=11rodG3ZF60C&pg=PT199|date=26 April 2012|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|isbn=978-0-670-92120-1|pages=199–200}}</ref>

[[OS X Lion]] (2011) featured a redesigned Address Book application in the style of the iPad Contacts app, also in a two-pane design.<ref name="Siracusa Lion review p5">{{cite web |last1=Siracusa |first1=John |title=Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: the Ars Technica review |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/07/mac-os-x-10-7/5/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |date=July 20, 2011 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919191814/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/07/mac-os-x-10-7/5/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2012 with [[OS X Mountain Lion]] it returned to a three-pane design and changed names to match iOS.<ref name="Siracusa Mountain Lion review p6">{{cite web |last1=Siracusa |first1=John |title=OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: the Ars Technica review |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/os-x-10-8/6/#contacts |website=[[Ars Technica]] |date=July 25, 2012 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627191422/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/os-x-10-8/6/#contacts |url-status=live }}</ref> 

The following year, both versions of Contacts switched with their parent operating systems to a more [[flat design]] style, a change attributed to Forstall's departure from Apple in the autumn of 2012.<ref name="Siracusa Mavericks review p3">{{cite web |last1=Siracusa |first1=John |title=OS X 10.9 Mavericks: The Ars Technica Review |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/os-x-10-9/3/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |date=October 22, 2013 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728201133/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/os-x-10-9/3/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Segall2012" /> In 2013 iOS Contacts switched to the new UI along with the whole of [[iOS 7]], while with [[OS X Mavericks]] the skeuomorphic design was removed leaving a basic UI.<ref name="Siracusa Mavericks review p3" /><ref name="Editors2014">{{cite book|title=Total OS X Mavericks Superguide: Everything you need to know about Apple's newest operating system|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9uukAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA30|date=22 January 2014|publisher=IDG Consumer & SMB, Inc.|isbn=978-1-937821-38-8|page=30}}</ref> With [[OS X Yosemite]] (2014) the OS X Contacts app switched along with the rest of the operating system to the iOS 7-style UI.<ref name="Siracusa Yosemite review p14">{{cite web |last1=Siracusa |first1=John |title=OS X 10.10 Yosemite: The Ars Technica Review |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/10/os-x-10-10/14/#contacts |website=Ars Technica |date=October 16, 2014 |access-date=28 June 2020 |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629201258/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/10/os-x-10-10/14/#contacts |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2021, Apple introduced Contacts to [[Apple Watch]] in [[WatchOS#watchOS_8|watchOS 8]].

==Features==
*Exports and imports cards in [[vCard]] 3.0 format<ref>{{Cite web |title=Change vCard settings in Contacts on Mac |url=https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/contacts/adrbk1512/mac |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Apple Support |language=en |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325223052/https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/contacts/adrbk1512/mac |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Imports cards from [[LDAP Data Interchange Format|LDIF]], tab-delimited, and comma-separated files<ref>{{Cite web |title=Import contacts into Contacts on Mac |url=https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/contacts/adrbk1457/mac |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Apple Support |language=en}}</ref>
*[[C (programming language)|C]] and [[Objective-C]] [[Application programming interface|API]] to interface with other applications<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contacts |url=https://docs.developer.apple.com/documentation/contacts |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Apple Developer Documentation |language=en}}</ref>
*Prints labels and envelopes, mailing lists, pocket address books<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Print mailing labels, envelopes and contact lists in Contacts on Mac |url=https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/contacts/adrbab40ca1d/mac |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Apple Support |language=en |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325225622/https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/contacts/adrbab40ca1d/mac |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Can configure page setup and paper size before printing<ref name=":0" />
*One-click automatic look up for duplicate entries<ref>{{Cite web |title=Merge contact cards in Contacts on Mac |url=https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/contacts/adrbk1456/mac |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Apple Support |language=en |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325225622/https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/contacts/adrbk1456/mac |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Change of address notification
*Contact groups
*Smart groups based on [[Spotlight (software)|Spotlight]]
*Look up addresses on [[Apple Maps]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Show a contact's address on a map using Contacts on Mac |url=https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/contacts/adrb183385bb/mac |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Apple Support |language=en}}</ref>
*Auto-merge when importing vCards
*Customize fields and categories
*Automatic formatting of phone numbers
*Synchronizes with [[Microsoft Exchange Server]]
*Synchronizes with [[Yahoo!]] Address Book<ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/addressbook/autosync/autosync-20.html|title=How can I sync my Yahoo! contacts to the Mac address book?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231114508/http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/addressbook/autosync/autosync-20.html|archive-date=December 31, 2007|access-date=September 2, 2009}}</ref>
*Synchronizes with [[Google]] Contact Sync
*[[Speech recognition]] searching
*Capability to query an [[Lightweight Directory Access Protocol|LDAP]] database containing person information
*[[Plug-in (computing)|Plugin]] interface allowing third-party developers to add functionality to the program

===Integration with macOS===
*Integration with [[Apple Mail|Mail]], [[Calendar (Apple)|Calendar]], [[Messages (Apple)|Messages]], [[FaceTime]], Fax, [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]], [[iPhone]]
*[[iSync]] compatibility to sync contacts to phones, [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]]s, [[iPod]]s, and other Macs
*Contacts are indexed by [[Spotlight (software)|Spotlight]]
*Address Book stores previous recipient addresses used by Mail
*[[Uniform Resource Locator|URLs]] in Address Book cards appear in Safari's Address Book bookmarks
*Buddies in iChat can be associated with Address Book cards
*Birthdays saved in Address Book appear in iCal if enabled
*Address Book [[Dashboard (Mac OS)|Dashboard]] Widget
*[[AppleScript]], [[Automator (macOS) | Automator]], and [[Shortcuts (Apple) | Shortcuts]] support for querying, adding, modifying, and removing people and groups

==User interface==
Contacts has two viewing modes: View Card and Column and View Card Only. The user can switch between modes with a control in the upper-left portion of the window under the close box.

In releases prior to Lion, in View Card and Column, the Contacts window is divided into three panes. The first pane has the title Group. This pane lists All, Directories, and each user-made group. Users can add new groups by pulling the File menu down to New Group, or typing Command-Shift-N.

When selecting All or a user-made group, the second column has the title Name. It lists the names of the people with cards in that group, or all the names if the selected group is All, in alphabetical order by first or last name, depending on user preference.

The third pane has the card corresponding to the selected name. The card can include information, some of which the user can classify into customizable categories like Home and Work. Many of the fields can have duplicate entries, for example, if the person the card describes has several email addresses. The user can edit the fields by pressing the edit button below the bottom-left of the third pane. Default fields include:

*Picture
*Name pronunciation
*First name
*Last name
*Job title
*Company
*Phone number
*Email address
*Home page
*Birthday
*Instant messaging username
**[[AOL Instant Messenger|AIM]]
**[[ICQ]]
**[[XMPP]]
**[[Windows Live Messenger]]
**[[Yahoo! Messenger]]
*Address
*Related Names
*Note

Contacts can search LDAP (network) directories. Users customize these in the LDAP tab of the preferences. Users search these by selecting Directories in the first pane, selecting a directory or All in the second pane, and typing their search in the search box above the top-left of the third pane. Results appear in the third pane.

==See also==
* [[Google Contacts]]
* [[People (Microsoft service)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Apple software}}
{{macOS}}
{{iOS}}
[[Category:MacOS-only software made by Apple Inc.]]
[[Category:Personal information managers]]
[[Category:iOS software]]
[[Category:IOS-based software made by Apple Inc.]]