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

Kendo

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 4, 2011
2,356
889
I just realized all of my contact phone numbers are mixed. Some will say (555)555-5555 and some will say +1 (555)555-5555. Curious if you guys add the +1 or remove the 1 for all of your US phone number contacts?
 
Hahaha I was just discussing this with a friend.

Super anally, I used to remove it (because on my phone, at least, iOS insists on placing the +1 in a new contact saved from a new caller or texter). Finally, I gave up. In my ongoing quest to learn how better to pick my battles, this seemed like and easy surrender...

Edited to say I'm in the USA.
 
Last edited:
Can't say I make use of that. It seems to work fine either way, so it seems like it doesn't really matter much (aside from some sort of edge case type of scenarios perhaps).
 
  • Like
Reactions: compwiz1202
It’s a mix for me, but I try to include it because I have contacts with various country codes and sometimes have trouble dialing a number without it when I travel...

My contacts are a complete mess though, so I shouldn’t be an OCD role model...
 
Can't say I make use of that. It seems to work fine either way, so it seems like it doesn't really matter much (aside from some sort of edge case type of scenarios perhaps).
Edge case?! 😂😂 Works in the US without the +1 but nowhere else in the world.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Codpeace
Edge case?! 😂😂 Works in the US without the +1 but nowhere else in the world.
Perhaps it might depend on how you are calling. Between WiFi calling and the Dial Assist option in the Phone app settings it seems like it should be fine when calling outside of US.
 
I never add the + to a regular U.S. based number. Being in the U.S., I see no need to.

I live in the US and I normally didn't either but when I added a local SIM card when I visited another country, all of my contacts that didn't have the +1 number wouldn't have their names show up in iMessage. Meaning all of my existing conversations listed the name as (555-445-3454) instead of the name. But the contacts that had a +1 format would show up as "Jonathan", "Jerry", etc.
 
I just realized all of my contact phone numbers are mixed. Some will say (555)555-5555 and some will say +1 (555)555-5555. Curious if you guys add the +1 or remove the 1 for all of your US phone number contacts?
Excellent question, from a fellow OCD-er. I do not. When it’s already there, I remove it. I don’t travel internationally.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Codpeace
I live in the US and I normally didn't either but when I added a local SIM card when I visited another country, all of my contacts that didn't have the +1 number wouldn't have their names show up in iMessage. Meaning all of my existing conversations listed the name as (555-445-3454) instead of the name. But the contacts that had a +1 format would show up as "Jonathan", "Jerry", etc.
That’s interesting. I’ll keep that in mind if I start traveling internationally.
 
Always adding the country code (Germany, +49 in my case). But as I am often traveling to Austria or to the Netherlands it is better to save it with country code
 
I put in the plus (+) symbol for practical reasons. It's the international exit code (a.k.a. international direct dial or IDD).

From the USA calling abroad means dialing 011 before the country code. The plus sign fills that in for you.

It works elsewhere so if I'm in Japan, France, Italy, Germany, wherever, I don't need to figure out what the international exit code is. It might be 00, 0011, 011, 010 or something else. I can dial press the number and the carrier I'm connected to will fill it in automagically.

For international numbers, it also helps so I don't need to figure out whether or not I need to precede the area/city code with another digit.

Example, Tokyo number:

  • Without IDD: 81 (03) 4567 8765 how it might be listed in print, advertisement, etc. If the country code is omitted then (03) 4567 8765.
  • With IDD: +81 3 4567 8765

If I'm in the USA calling without IDD, I need to remember to add our international access code and strip the leading zero from the city code 011 81 3 4567 8765.

If I'm in Japan calling without IDD, I drop the country code and dial with the zero preceding the city code 03 4567 8765.

If I dial the IDD number, I don't need to remember any dialing rules regardless of whether I'm in USA, Japan, Australia or New Zealand (all four have different IDDs).

Adding numbers with the IDD is most useful for people who do lots of international travel or call other countries. If you only call and travel domestically, it doesn't matter.

Sometimes I need to contact someone back at home while traveling abroad (scheduling appointments for dentist, auto mechanic, etc.).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Codpeace and BBDDVV
My contacts are a complete mess though, so I shouldn’t be an OCD role model...

I was going through my contact list a few weeks ago, mine is a cluttered train wreck. I have "merged" multiple names - some have just a number, then the same person has a number, email and phone, another same name has an address....But I merge them, yet it never stays merged.

So I'll see 3,4 maybe 5 of the same names when I bring up my contact list.
This can mess with my OCD 😆
 
  • Like
Reactions: Analog Kid
I was going through my contact list a few weeks ago, mine is a cluttered train wreck. I have "merged" multiple names - some have just a number, then the same person has a number, email and phone, another same name has an address....But I merge them, yet it never stays merged.

So I'll see 3,4 maybe 5 of the same names when I bring up my contact list.
This can mess with my OCD 😆
Yep, same situation here. It doesn't help that my contacts date back more years than I care to admit, was never really well maintained, has gone through a few iCloud upload/merge/delete cycles, etc.

My iTunes library isn't in much better shape...
 
I do find managing the contacts a bit more manageable on macOS. If you plan on cleaning it up down the line, much easier with the keyboard on a Mac than doing it on an iPhone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MiniApple
I try to remember to. I live in the USA and when I was traveling overseas I didn't have to change any of my contacts to call them.
 
I only do that for contacts I might call while in a different country, which is a very small number. Even then, I'm not sure I've every actually called them the old-school way while traveling since I'd rather just wait until I'm on wifi and use one of the many free options.
 
I am in US and make it a point to add +(country code) to all the contacts I add. I’ve been doing this for over 10 years now. I do have a mix of local and international contacts that I interact with on a frequent basis.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.