How to disable favourite contacts sync across devices in iOS 26?

You can either turn off iCloud sync or use a second iCloud account for business. Otherwise, your data follows you across your devices as intended.

I add my annoyed voice to this topic. I have two iPhones on the same AppleID (mine & my wife's). We share Contacts via iCloud, but before iOS26, we could both select our own Favourites. This important facility is now broken. Please can it be reinstated ASAP.

A few Operating Systems ago, Apple 'broke' something similar. In the previous case, Recents were synced across our two phones (but Favourites were not). Apple reversed its error shortly after the iOS release.

Please Apple ... react quickly. Syncing of Favourites and Recents should be 'opt-in or opt-out'

I too have 2 iPhones one work and personal.

3 times now I thought I was on work phone on apple car play and dialled a favourite contact from personal phone as they are now synced together. Now they have my personal phone and ringing after hours on my personal phone. Not happy. This was NOT the case with iOS 25. Please fix it NOW !!

This doesn't work! One can disable syncing on all devices and STILL favorites are syncing.This wasn't the case until IOS 26 and is the reason why the people here are complaining.

Same problem. I have 2 iphones (personal & work) on same AppleID but used to keep different “contacts favorites” . Since iOS 26, both iPhones favorites are same.

I turned off iCloud for “FaceTime & calls” but it did not work.

hope that Apple fixes this issue soon

Angina1 wrote:

Very Unhappy that I must sync contact favorites with all my devices. Please fix this programing defect.

Turn off sync on any devices that you wish not to sync. There is no defect as enabling sync works as intended.

Apple isn’t here.

Use a different Apple ID on your devices.

This doesn't work! One can turn off icloud sync, the phones will still sync the favorites.

Same problem that did not exist before IOS 26. Needs to be fixed!

Yes

this need to be fixed, why to be forced to have same favorites in all the devices. This should be optional. Turning off ICloud did not work. Very annoying if you do not need it

iCloud is off for "Phone" but still sync favorate. It was working ok in ios 18

Very Unhappy that I must sync contact favorites with all my devices. Please fix this programing defect.