Managing contacts on your iPhone can sometimes be a bit of a juggle, especially when you’re trying to locate those you’ve recently added. Apple’s sleek design principles have kept the Contacts app simple, lacking a direct feature to filter or sort contacts by the date added. However, there’s an ingenious workaround using the iPhone’s Shortcuts app. This guide will walk you through the process of finding recently added contacts on your iPhone.
Understanding the Need for Finding Recently Added Contacts
Imagine you’ve recently met someone and added their contact details to your iPhone, but now you can’t recall their name. Your Contacts app does not offer a direct way to filter by the most recently added contacts, but the data is there on your phone.
The Role of the Shortcuts App in Finding Contacts
Apple introduced the Shortcuts app as a default feature in iOS 13 back in 2019. This app allows you to create or download shortcuts to perform specific tasks on your iPhone that are not directly available in the usual interface.
Creating a Shortcut to Find Recently Added Contacts
Getting Started with Shortcuts
- Open the Shortcuts App: You can find this app on every iPhone, as it comes built-in with the device.
- Creating the Shortcut: Apple provides a sharing site for shortcuts that have gone through a verification process to ensure the safety of your data.
Downloading the Pre-made Shortcut
- Access the Shortcut: You can find and download a pre-made shortcut titled ‘Find 10 Recent Contacts’ from Apple’s iCloud Shortcuts website.
- Running the Shortcut: After downloading, simply tap on the shortcut to run it. It takes about 5 seconds to filter out the 10 most recent contacts from your entire contact list.
Viewing Your Recently Added Contacts
Once the shortcut is run, a list will pop up, displaying the 10 most recently added contacts on your iPhone.
Finding Out When You Added a Contact
A useful feature of this shortcut is that it not only shows the most recent contacts but also the date and time when each contact was added. Simply tap on any name in the list, and a banner will appear showing the date and time that particular contact was added.
Identifying the Most Recent Contact
If your goal is to find the very last contact you added, the shortcut makes this easy. The most recent contact will be at the top of the list generated by the shortcut.
Customizing the Shortcut for More Contacts
If you need to find a contact that was added earlier and not within the last 10, the shortcut allows you to modify its code to include more contacts, say the most recent 20 contacts.
Sorting Contacts by Date Added
The method to change the number of contacts and the code to sort them effectively allows you to sort your contacts by the date they were added. This can be particularly useful if you regularly add new contacts and need to keep track of them.
Creating Your Shortcut
For those who prefer a more hands-on approach or want to customize further, you can create your own shortcut. This section of the guide would instruct you on how to write your shortcut to find the most recently added contacts.
Setting Up Your Custom Shortcut
- Selecting the Order: In your custom shortcut, you need to select ‘Latest First’ to ensure that the most recent contacts are shown first.
- Adjusting the Number of Contacts: You can adjust the number of contacts you wish to see by using the plus or minus signs. More contacts will take slightly longer to load.
Conclusion
Finding recently added contacts on your iPhone doesn’t have to be a hassle. By using the Shortcuts app, either through a pre-made shortcut or by creating your own, you can easily access and organize your contacts based on when they were added. This guide provides you with the know-how to manage your contacts efficiently and effectively.
FAQs
- Do I need to download any third-party apps to find recently added contacts? No, you can use the built-in Shortcuts app on your iPhone to create or download a shortcut for this purpose.
- Is it safe to download shortcuts from Apple’s iCloud Shortcuts website? Yes, shortcuts shared on Apple’s site have undergone a verification process to ensure they are safe and do not risk tampering with your data.
- Can I see the exact date and time when I added a contact? Yes, the shortcut provides the option to view the date and time when each contact was added.
- How many recent contacts can I view using this shortcut? The default setting is 10 contacts, but you can modify this to view more.
- Is it possible to sort all my contacts by the date added? Yes, by modifying the shortcut, you can sort all your contacts by the date they were added.
Hi! I’m Eric and I work on the knowledge base at GadgetMates.com. You can see some of my writings about technology, cellphone repair, and computer repair here.
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