Pin a contact by opening the Contacts app and swiping left

To pin a contact on your iPhone, open the Contacts app, find the person you want to pin, swipe left across their name, and tap the pin icon. The contact moves to a "Pinned" section at the top of your list. You can pin up to nine contacts this way.

Pinned contacts appear in their own section above your alphabetical contact list, making them faster to find and call. This works on iPhone running iOS 13 or later. If you don't see a pin icon when you swipe left, your iPhone may need an update.

The pin icon looks like a small pushpin and appears when you swipe left on any contact name. Tap it once to pin the contact immediately — there's no confirmation dialog or extra step required.

Key Takeaways

  • Swipe left on any contact name in the Contacts app to reveal the pin icon, then tap it to move that contact to the top.
  • You can pin up to nine contacts, and they appear in a separate section above your alphabetical list.
  • Pinned contacts also appear at the top of your phone's recents list when you open the Phone app.
  • To unpin a contact, swipe left on their name again and tap the pin icon a second time.
  • Pinning a contact is private and does not notify the person or change how they see your contact information.

Where pinned contacts appear on your iPhone

Pinned contacts show up in two places. In the Contacts app, they sit in a "Pinned" section at the very top, before your alphabetical list starts. In the Phone app, they appear at the top of your recents list with a small pin icon next to their name.

This makes pinned contacts the fastest way to reach people you call or message most often. You don't have to scroll through your entire contact list or search for their name. The pinned section is always visible when you open either app, so your most important contacts are always one tap away.

If you use Siri to call someone, pinned contacts may also appear as suggestions when you say "Call..." without specifying a name, though this depends on your usage patterns.

How to unpin a contact

To unpin a contact, open the Contacts app, find the pinned contact you want to remove, and swipe left on their name. Tap the pin icon again, and the contact moves back to your alphabetical list.

The contact stays in your phone — unpinning only removes it from the pinned section. You can pin and unpin the same contact as many times as you want without any restrictions or waiting periods.

What to do if the pin icon doesn't appear

If you swipe left on a contact and don't see a pin icon, your iPhone may be running an older version of iOS. The pin feature was introduced in iOS 13. Check your iPhone's iOS version by going to Settings, then General, then About.

If your iPhone is running iOS 13 or later and the pin icon still doesn't show, try closing the Contacts app completely and opening it again. If the problem continues, restart your iPhone by holding down the power button and sliding to power off, then turning it back on.

Pinning contacts in the Phone app directly

You can also pin a contact without opening the Contacts app. In the Phone app, go to the Recents tab, find the person you want to pin, swipe left on their name, and tap the pin icon. The contact moves to the top of your recents list immediately.

This method is useful if you're already in the Phone app and want to pin someone you've recently called or messaged. The contact will then appear in the pinned section of both the Phone app and the Contacts app.

Managing your pinned contacts

Once you have pinned contacts, you can rearrange their order by tapping Edit in the Pinned section of your Contacts app. Drag the three horizontal lines next to each contact's name to move them up or down. This lets you arrange your most-called contacts in the order you prefer.

If you reach the nine-contact limit and want to pin someone new, you'll need to unpin one of your current pinned contacts first. There's no way to increase the limit beyond nine. The nine-contact limit applies across all iPhones and cannot be changed through settings.

You can also edit a pinned contact's information by tapping their name in the pinned section, then tapping Edit. This opens the full contact card where you can add phone numbers, email addresses, or other details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pin a contact on my iPhone if I'm using an older iOS version?

No, the pin feature requires iOS 13 or later. If your iPhone is running iOS 12 or earlier, you won't see the pin option. You can still use Favorites in the Phone app as an alternative — tap Edit in the Favorites tab and add contacts there.

What's the difference between pinning a contact and marking them as a favorite?

Pinned contacts appear at the top of both your Contacts and Phone apps. Favorites only appear in the Phone app's Favorites tab. Pinning is more visible across your phone, while Favorites are more specific to calling and messaging.

If I pin a contact, will they know about it?

No, pinning a contact is private. The person has no way of knowing you've pinned them. It only affects how their name appears on your phone.

Can I pin a contact group or a business?

You can pin individual contacts, but not groups. If you want to reach multiple people at once, you'll need to call or message them individually or create a group message thread.

Do pinned contacts sync across my other Apple devices?

Yes, if you use iCloud to sync your contacts, your pinned contacts will appear in the same order on your iPad and Mac. The pinning information syncs automatically when you're signed into the same Apple ID.