Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How do I put a phone contact on home screen?

R

roveer

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 28, 2013
11
1
I've figured out how to move the contacts app to the home screen, but now I wish to place my family members phone numbers on the home screen. I've been googleing for an hour and all I find is this safari .tel.qnlk.net thing which doesn't work.

How can I place icons on my home screen that when pressed will call a particular contact? Many thanks.
 
As far as I’m aware this is not possible with just iOS itself. You can download an app called Workflow, though, and create workflows for your contacts to call them from the home screen (among other things - Workflow is very powerful).
 
Closest thing out-of-the-box iOS you could do, that I am aware of, is to add the "Favorites" widget to the Search/Widgets screen (ie. swipe right from Home screen). Add the contacts you want to Favorites in Phone and then will show there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SoN1NjA, adrianlondon and chabig
There is a widget to put your Phone favorites on the search screen. That's what you want, I think.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SoN1NjA
NoBoMac said:
Closest thing out-of-the-box iOS you could do, that I am aware of, is to add the "Favorites" widget to the Search/Widgets screen (ie. swipe right from Home screen). Add the contacts you want to Favorites in Phone and then will show there.
Click to expand...

Yup. Doing that now but would really like to have icons on home screen. Seems like there might be a workflow app that might allow it. I'll have to check that out.
 
Search the app store for "favorite contacts". You'll find several apps that purport to do that.
 
As mentioned, Workflow is the app you want. It’ll do exactly what you’re after, and is now free (Apple purchased the app a few months back).

You can bet they’ll integrate something similar in iOS 12.
 
The workflow approach is pretty awful imo. it results in this:

First you tap the home screen icon to open the website
Then that launches the workflow app
Then it navigates to the particular workflow
Then it runs the workflow
Then you get a pop up asking if you want to call the number

Quite slow on an iPhone 6 and the final step takes the biscuit.

The favourites widget really is a better idea...
 
  • Like
Reactions: simonmet
daijholt said:
As mentioned, Workflow is the app you want. It’ll do exactly what you’re after, and is now free (Apple purchased the app a few months back).

You can bet they’ll integrate something similar in iOS 12.
Click to expand...

I just grabbed this app off the App Store. Not that I think I’ve got any use for it really right now, more that if Apple have bought it then it’ll probably be killed off in a bit and never seen again. Now, just need to figure out a way of getting the .ipa off the phone in case they pull it from the store. Hey, they’ve got previous :D
 
Not being able to pin a contact to a home screen in 2017 without a 3rd
party app?
 
GreyOS said:
The workflow approach is pretty awful imo. it results in this:

First you tap the home screen icon to open the website
Then that launches the workflow app
Then it navigates to the particular workflow
Then it runs the workflow
Then you get a pop up asking if you want to call the number

Quite slow on an iPhone 6 and the final step takes the biscuit.

The favorites widget really is a better idea...
Click to expand...

You wrote my next post! I too tried workflow and found it a no go. It's disappointing that I can't pin a contact to the home screen. i'll have to just live with making them a favorite, then swiping right. Seems like that's as good as i'm going to get
 
roveer said:
You wrote my next post! I too tried workflow and found it a no go.
Click to expand...

Not to pick on OP, but, yeah, Worflow is not a great alternative. Then again, never had big issue with tap Phone in Launch Bar/Task Bar/Whatever-Apple-Calls-Bar-Where-I-Have-Phone-Pinned-On and tap contact in Favorites (not that I use phone alot to make actual phone calls). Wish Apple would open up things just a smidge to allow Workflow/IFTTT things like time-date/location based DnD (ie. Not just one all or nothing DnD).

mpavilion said:
If you have 3D Touch, a force-touch on the Phone icon will also bring up your top Favorites.
Click to expand...

Nice! My first phone with 3d Touch (previous was a 6), so maybe doing wrong, but, appears that the Favorites is a short list, not full one you can get as a Widget.
 
Nice! My first phone with 3d Touch (previous was a 6), so maybe doing wrong, but, appears that the Favorites is a short list, not full one you can get as a Widget.[/QUOTE]
Yes, it’s the first four.
 
This was for my wife's iphone 6. She is coming from a windows phone where "pin to home screen" was a simple task. She will just have to use the favorites after swiping right.
 
roveer said:
This was for my wife's iphone 6. She is coming from a windows phone where "pin to home screen" was a simple task. She will just have to use the favorites after swiping right.
Click to expand...

If she’s planning to upgrade anytime soon, she’ll get 3D Touch. Doing that on the phone icon brings up your favorites. For me, it’s slightly more convenient than the widget.
 
BeeGood said:
If she’s planning to upgrade anytime soon, she’ll get 3D Touch. Doing that on the phone icon brings up your favorites. For me, it’s slightly more convenient than the widget.
Click to expand...

Nope. We just went to iPhone 6. Staying several gen's behind allows me to get these phones around 200 dollars in good condition and put new batteries in them. The iphone 6 I just got my wife had 160 cycles on the battery. After a day's use she still had 38% on the battery and it's in a Mophie case if needed. We never ride the wave of new phones. My wife just came from a windows phone and found it did everything she needed. The kids have been using iPhone's but aren't feature crazy and don't have any issues with speed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BeeGood
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back