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Contacts Save by Default Locally

How do I make the iPhone save new contacts by default to iCloud? iCloud is turned on and when I go to save a new contact from a text message, it saves the contact on the iPhone only. There are no options to save the new contacts in a alternate location

Posted on Nov 15, 2022 8:48 PM

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6 replies

Nov 15, 2022 9:40 PM in response to maddiver22

maddiver22 wrote:

How do I make the iPhone save new contacts by default to iCloud?

What is your default Contacts account? If none, please add an email account and enable contacts.


See the pic below


Unlike some Android devices, contacts are neither stored locally on an iPhone nor in SIM. They are synced to an email account that you had Google, iCloud, AOL, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo or any Other




When you look deeply you will find that Contacts are neither stored on an iPhone nor on SIM. They are synced to an email account that you may have added and enabled Contacts. It could be Google, iCloud, AOL, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo or any Other email client server.


When you enable Contacts in any of the email accounts they are displayed to you through the Contacts App. When you edit these contacts on an iPhone they are ultimately edited on the client-server.



If you are unable to find your contacts which were stored in the email client, then try this --> Restore contacts, calendars, bookmarks, and more using ...


Check if the email account has been removed in iOS mail app.

Add the email account that stores your contacts in the IOS mail app and enable Contacts.



If you have a corporate email account added through a profile on your device, please check with your organisation's system administrator.





Nov 16, 2022 1:06 PM in response to maddiver22

Understand, but how do you explain all the not locally saved contacts saving under the local iPhone "Contact" section of this image. Where there is no online contacts to reference. Because that is where they were saving by default. There were 18 contacts under that field. I ended up exporting them>Deleting>re-uploading them to iCloudAll of the webmail/email options like yahoo/gmail etc display at the bottom section.

Contacts Save by Default Locally

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