Separate Contact lists

[Splitbolt]

I have about 50 people in my Contacts on my iPhone (which is linked to my MAC and iPad as well).

These are friends, family, and personal contacts, I like being able to scroll thru the relatively small list.

I would like to be able to save my customers to my contact list as well, but I would like them to be part of a separate list. I currently have about 200 customers and more get added every day.

How can I make 2 separate contact lists, personal and work, so that they don't co-mingle and I can scroll thru them individually?

 

[eyoungren]

I use an app called Groups. It lets you add, delete, rename or otherwise edit contact Groups directly on your phone. It's free (you pay to remove ads, but the functionality is the same).

What you could do is create a 'Customers' group and then move your contacts in to that group. When done if you use the Contacts app you can have it show either group or both at the same time. Any new contacts you'd have to choose from Settings as to what group they go into on creation, but using Groups you could easily move them from one group to the other.

I've been using this app since late 2012 and it's been excellent for this.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Groups (the feature of the Contacts app, not the separate app) is the way this is normally done. The trick is, you have to manage your groups on the Mac, rather than your iOS devices (and use iCloud to sync things between devices). On the Mac it's easy to move individual or multiple contacts into or out of a group - and you can put the same contact in more than one group, if need be. On iOS? All you can do is select the group you wish to view.

 

[eyoungren]

Groups (the feature of the Contacts app, not the separate app) is the way this is normally done. The trick is, you have to manage your groups on the Mac, rather than your iOS devices (and use iCloud to sync things between devices). On the Mac it's easy to move individual or multiple contacts into or out of a group - and you can put the same contact in more than one group, if need be. On iOS? All you can do is select the group you wish to view.

You would be correct if the Groups app had not been created. That's why I suggested it. The Groups app allows you to do everything you mentioned about creating and managing groups ON the iPhone. You don't NEED a Mac. Just use Groups (the app).

 

[Splitbolt]

Thank you for the replies.

So I can do this without the 3rd party app, only it has to be done on the computer?

What about when entering a new contact on my iPhone? I can select the group it goes into? I just can't move a contact from one group to another on the iPhone?

 

[eyoungren]

Thank you for the replies.

So I can do this without the 3rd party app, only it has to be done on the computer?

What about when entering a new contact on my iPhone? I can select the group it goes into? I just can't move a contact from one group to another on the iPhone?

You can do this without a 3rd party app and yes it would have to be done on the computer.

3rd party app versus create your contact group on the computer, connect your iPhone to your computer, open iTunes and sync. Lather, rinse, repeat if you want to change a contact from one group to another.

As to the last question, that is correct. You cannot 'just change' the group a contact is in on the iPhone. You have to do it via the computer and syncing via iTunes.

Or you could use a 3rd party app that lets you do it on your iPhone itself.

New contacts created on the iPhone will go into the Contact group you have selected in Settings>Mail. Contacts and Calendars. For a stock setup, that's 'On my iPhone'.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Thank you for the replies.

So I can do this without the 3rd party app, only it has to be done on the computer?

Yes

What about when entering a new contact on my iPhone? I can select the group it goes into? I just can't move a contact from one group to another on the iPhone?

It can't be done in iPhone - you can't select the group it goes into, you can't set a default group in Settings (you can't set a default group on Mac, either), and you can't move a contact from one group to another.

It's also not at all easy to determine whether a contact has been assigned to a group (which you'd have to do on the Mac). One way to make this easy is to create a Smart Group on your Mac: File > New Smart Group... Set Smart Group parameter to: Contains cards which match the following condition: Card is not member of any group

 

[eyoungren]

…you can't set a default group in Settings…

Are you sure? I can switch between my Google contacts and my 'On my iPhone' contacts. Just saying.



Groups makes this easy - on the phone.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

That's switching between accounts, rather than groups. An account can have many groups.

 

[Splitbolt]

3rd party app versus create your contact group on the computer, connect your iPhone to your computer, open iTunes and sync.

~ You have to do it via the computer and syncing via iTunes.

Why would I have to connect to my computer and sync via iTunes? I haven't used iTunes in years, my Contacts (And everything else) updates across my MAC and devices instantly via iCloud.

 

[eyoungren]

Why would I have to connect to my computer and sync via iTunes? I haven't used iTunes in years, my Contacts (And everything else) updates across my MAC and devices instantly via iCloud.

That is because you are using iCloud. I stopped using iCloud when I realized I could not change the contacts on my iPhone using the programs available to my PowerPC Macs.

I have exactly one Intel MBP and it's limited to Snow Leopard. So, I switched to Google for my contacts.

Not everyone is using iCloud for their contacts.

 

[Splitbolt]

That is because you are using iCloud. I stopped using iCloud when I realized I could not change the contacts on my iPhone using the programs available to my PowerPC Macs.

I have exactly one Intel MBP and it's limited to Snow Leopard. So, I switched to Google for my contacts.

Not everyone is using iCloud for their contacts.

You need to connect your iPhone to a computer with a wire and use iTunes to sync your Google contacts?

 

[eyoungren]

You need to connect your iPhone to a computer with a wire and use iTunes to sync your Google contacts?

No, not now. But when I was using iCloud I did. That was 2012 or so with PowerPC Macs running OS X 10.5.8 Leopard, not Intel Macs.

That's why I switched to Google. I couldn't get anything synced properly between devices.