How to Save a Number From a Recent Call to Your Contacts on Your iPhone

The Scrap of Paper Problem

Your neighbor's daughter called yesterday to give you the name of a good handyman. He rang once, you missed it, and now his number is sitting in your call list — but not in your address book. If you don't save it soon, it'll slip further down the list every time someone else calls.

This is a bit like the old rolodex on your desk. A phone number only helps if it has a name attached and lives somewhere you can find it. Here's how to move a recent number into your contacts, once and for all.

Finding the Number

Start by opening the green Phone app — the one with a little white telephone receiver on it.

Along the bottom of the screen you'll see a row of choices. Tap the one labeled Recents. This shows every call from the last while — ones you made, ones you answered, and ones you missed (missed ones show in red).

Find the number you want to save. If you don't know a name for it, that's fine — you'll be able to add one in a moment. Look to the right of the number and you'll see a small letter i inside a circle. Tap that i.

Saving It With a Name

A new screen opens showing details about that call. Near the top you'll see two blue options:

• Create New Contact — use this if the number belongs to someone brand new, like the handyman.
• Add to Existing Contact — use this if you already have the person in your address book but they called from a different number (say, your son calling from his work phone).

Tap Create New Contact.

Now you'll see blank spaces for First name and Last name. Tap in the First name box and the keyboard will pop up. Type the name — "Bob Handyman" works just as well as "Robert Miller" if that's how you'll remember him. You don't have to fill in every box; just a name is enough.

When you're finished, tap the blue word Done in the top right corner. That's it. The number is now saved.

Checking Your Work

Let's make sure it took. Close out of the Phone app by pressing the round button at the bottom (or swiping up from the bottom edge if your phone doesn't have that button).

Open the Phone app again and this time tap Contacts at the bottom. Scroll down the list until you find the name you just added. If it's there, you're all set. Next time Bob calls, his name will appear on your screen instead of a strange number — and you'll know whether to pick up.

One Small Habit Worth Building

Every time someone new calls you — a doctor's office, a pharmacy, a repair person, a friend from church using their cell phone for the first time — take thirty seconds right then to save the number. It's much easier than hunting it down a week later.

Try This Today

Open your Phone app, tap Recents, and look for one number in the list that you recognize but haven't saved yet. Tap the i next to it and add it to your contacts. Just one. Once you've done it once, you'll have it for good.

Need a hand with your technology? We're here to help. Give PorchSwing a call or book an appointment, and we'll walk you through it at your own pace — no rush, no jargon.