Pinning a contact puts it at the top of your Contacts app so you can reach it without scrolling

Open the Contacts app on your iPhone, find the person you want to pin, and tap the pin icon next to their name. The contact moves to a "Pinned" section at the very top of your list. You can pin up to nine contacts this way, and they stay pinned until you unpin them — even if you add new contacts below.

This feature works on iPhone running iOS 13 or later. If you have an older iPhone, you won't see the pin option, but you can still create a Favorites list by opening a contact and tapping the heart icon instead.

Key Takeaways

  • Pinned contacts appear in their own section at the top of the Contacts app, separate from your alphabetical list.
  • You can pin up to nine contacts, and the order you pin them in is the order they appear.
  • Pinning a contact does not affect how they appear in your Phone or Messages apps — it only changes the Contacts app.
  • You can rearrange pinned contacts by holding and dragging them into a new order within the pinned section.

Step-by-step: pinning a contact

Start by opening the Contacts app — it's the icon that looks like a silhouette of a person's head. Scroll through your list or use the search bar at the top to find the contact you want to pin.

Once you've found the contact, look at the top right of their card. You'll see a pin icon (it looks like a pushpin). Tap it once. The icon fills in with color, and the contact moves to the top of your list under a "Pinned" heading. That's it — the contact is now pinned.

If you don't see a pin icon, your iPhone is running an older version of iOS. You can update your iPhone by going to Settings > General > Software Update, or you can use the heart icon instead to mark favorites.

Rearranging the order of pinned contacts

Your pinned contacts appear in the order you pinned them, but you can change that order anytime. Open Contacts, look at the pinned section at the top, and hold your finger on the contact you want to move.

A small handle (three horizontal lines) appears on the right side of the contact's name. Drag it up or down to the position you want, then release. The contact stays pinned but moves to its new spot. You can do this as many times as you like without unpinning anything.

Unpinning a contact

If you want to remove a contact from the pinned section, open Contacts and find the pinned contact at the top. Tap the pin icon next to their name — it will no longer be filled in with color, and the contact moves back into your regular alphabetical list.

Unpinning does not delete the contact or change anything else about them. They stay in your Contacts app; they just go back to appearing in alphabetical order with everyone else.

Pinned contacts vs. favorites

Pinned contacts appear only in the Contacts app and only at the top of your list. Favorites are contacts you mark with a heart icon, and they show up in the Phone app's Favorites tab, making them easy to call or text from there.

You can pin a contact and mark it as a favorite at the same time — they serve different purposes. Pinning helps you find someone quickly in Contacts. Marking as a favorite puts them in your Phone app's quick-dial section. Many people do both for the contacts they use most.

What happens when you pin a contact with multiple phone numbers

If a contact has more than one phone number (like a work number and a personal number), pinning the contact pins the whole card, not a specific number. When you tap the pinned contact, you'll see all their numbers and can choose which one to call or text.

If you want to call or text a specific number without seeing the others, you can add that number as a separate contact with a different name — for example, "Mom Work" and "Mom Personal" — and pin each one separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pin a contact to my home screen?

No, pinning only works within the Contacts app. However, you can create a shortcut on your home screen that calls or texts a specific contact. Open Shortcuts, create a new shortcut, add a "Call" or "Send Message" action, choose your contact, and save it to your home screen.

Do pinned contacts show up in my Phone app's favorites?

No. Pinning in Contacts and marking as a favorite in the Phone app are separate. A contact can be pinned in Contacts but not in your Phone app's Favorites tab, or vice versa. You have to mark them as a favorite separately if you want them to appear in the Phone app.

What if I pin a contact and then delete it?

If you delete a contact, it disappears from the pinned section too. The pin is removed along with the contact. If you change your mind, you can undo the deletion by shaking your iPhone immediately after deleting, or by opening Recently Deleted in Contacts and restoring it.

Can I pin a group or distribution list?

No, you can only pin individual contacts. If you want quick access to a group of people, you can create a group in Contacts and mark it as a favorite, which makes it easier to find in the Contacts app, but you cannot pin it to the top.