How to See Your Recent Calls on Your iPhone and Call Someone Back

Remember when the telephone had a little notepad beside it? Somebody would call while you were out, and you'd hope whoever answered scribbled down the name. Your iPhone keeps that notepad for you — automatically. Every call that comes in or goes out gets written down, right down to the minute. And calling any of those people back takes a single tap.

Finding Your List of Recent Calls

Start on the home screen — the screen with all the little squares (apps) on it. Look for the green square with a white telephone shape on it. That's the Phone app. Tap it once.

Along the bottom of the screen, you'll see a row of small words: Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keypad, and Voicemail. Tap Recents.

Now you're looking at your list. The most recent call is at the top, and it works its way down through the days. Each line shows you a name (if the person is in your contacts) or just a phone number (if they aren't), along with the time or date of the call.

Reading What the List Is Telling You

A few small details on this screen are worth knowing:

• Names shown in red mean you missed that call — the phone rang, but you didn't answer.
• Names in regular black mean the call went through, either you called them or you picked up when they called.
• Under the name, you might see "Incoming" (they called you), "Outgoing" (you called them), or "Missed."
• If the same person called several times in a row, you'll see a number in parentheses next to their name, like "Susan (3)."

That's it. No secret codes to memorize.

Calling Someone Back

Here's the part that saves you time. See a name or number on the list you want to call? Just tap it once. The phone will start dialing right away — you don't need to type anything in.

If you'd rather see more information first — like the full number, or when exactly they called — tap the little blue circle with an "i" inside it, off to the right of the name. That opens a details page. From there you can also tap "Create New Contact" to save the number under a name, so next time they call, you'll see who it is instead of a stranger's number.

When You Want to Clear the List

If your Recents list gets long and cluttered, you can tidy it up. In the top right corner, tap Edit. Little red circles appear next to each call. Tap the red circle next to any call you want to remove, then tap Delete on the right. When you're finished, tap Done in the top right.

Don't worry about deleting something important — removing a call from this list doesn't delete the person from your contacts or erase any voicemail. It just tidies up the list of who rang recently.

One Thing to Try Today

Open the Phone app, tap Recents at the bottom, and take a look at the last few calls that came in. Was there one you missed? Tap the name or number once, and you'll be calling them back before you finish reading this sentence. If it's someone you'd like to keep in touch with, tap the little blue "i" next to their name and save them to your contacts while you're at it.

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.