How to Delete Multiple Contacts on Your iPhone | Two Simple Ways to Get the Job Done
by Chelsea Bruhl on Sep 26, 2024
Speaking of smartphones, even after so many years iPhone's popularity continues to grow unabated. Though the market has such stiff competition and Android phones have their market, no one can deny that iPhone too has its distinct place. And it is worth noting that Apple is the USA's first trillion-dollar company.
The market cap of this mega-brand is higher than the GDP of Switzerland. The contribution of the iPhone to Apple's portfolio is significant in the brand's astronomical figures.
For many who own the iPhone, it is a status symbol. If you happen to be one of them, we are sure you are a proud owner too. The iPhone as a device is pretty user-friendly as well. But it is possible that you may not be fully aware of all the functionalities of the device.
Amongst some of the common things that users wonder about, the one common query you might face is how to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone.
Why might you want to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone?
Whether it is at work, a personal contact, or otherwise, we often come across many people all across our lives. At times, maybe after a long time, you may lose touch and may no longer need all the information that has been stored in your iPhone. You would realize that having all the unnecessary information stored on the device may be consuming valuable storage space.
You want to free up all the space. At times there could be a bulk of such unwanted information. Even though the iPhone is a great device, one drawback, in this case, is that it does not require users to remove or delete all such multiple contacts at one go. So, eliminating bulk contacts manually could be pretty tedious and time-consuming.
Because of this, you are wondering if there is a way of how to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone. The good news is that it can be done. So let us see precisely what can be done in this blog.
No Major change in iPhone’s Contact App
Much like most of the applications on the iPhone, the contact app too is pretty much user-friendly. However, the same has seen little change. Though otherwise quite beneficial, one drawback, which is quite painful, as already mentioned, is that it does not allow users to delete multiple contacts simultaneously.
What is interesting is that Apple will enable users to delete multiple contacts on other devices, including the iCloud and iTunes on your PC or even on Mac. If you are wondering how to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone, it can be done. The following is the complete guide for the process:
The process of deletion from the iPhone can be done in different ways. The following is the first process utilizing which you can do the same:
Two Ways to Delete Multiple Contacts on your iPhone
Using iCloud
The first way in which you can remove multiple contacts from your iPhone is by using iCloud. Let us assume that you are using iCloud; you have stored and backed up the cloud for use across multiple Apple devices.
These could include iOS along with the macOS machines. You would have noticed that we had earlier mentioned that the other applications of Apple enable users to delete multiple contacts. iCloud is one such application that helps users to store contact information out of the device.
You will have noticed closely if you change the email id of contact on your contact app on your iPhone, the same also would get reflected on other Apple devices, which include iPhone as well as the Macbook Pro or, for that matter, any other Apple device which you may be using. So here, you need to use iCloud to delete multiple contacts.
Prerequisites for the Process
For this process, you need to have the latest version of iTunes. Apart from this, you also must ensure that the Sync option on your iCloud app is turned on. And it would help if you also had a working internet connection. The following are the steps you need to follow:
- Step 1. You need to visit iCloud.com. You need to do this not from your mobile device but on your Mac or, for that matter, any other computer. Then you need to log into your account. It is to be done by using your Apple Account Id and the password for the same.
- Step 2. Once you have logged into your account, you need to visit the Main Page, which shows contacts. Then you have to choose the option showing Contacts.
- Step 3. Then you visit the contacts that you want to delete here. And then select the same. It will highlight the contact. You can do this by using the Control Key on your Mac or any other computer you might use for the process.
- Step 4. Once this is done, you need to scroll down once this is done, choosing the other contacts you want to delete.
- Step 5. You need to click on the Settings icon; it is on the bottom left portion of the computer screen.
- Step 6. Then you have to select delete to delete the contacts that you want to be removed or deleted.
- Step 7. In the box, you are to confirm your choice. It is to be done by using the Delete option.
Once you confirm all the Contacts you will delete, here would get deleted across all Apple devices you might be using. It would also include your iPhone. So, if you want, this is a simple method that can enable you to delete multiple contacts if you seek a solution for how to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone.
Apart from this, there are other methods that you can employ for the process.
Using Third-Party App - Using Groups
The good thing which has developed in recent times on the web scenario is that even if your Smartphone lacks in some way and if users are unable to carry out certain functions, the same can quickly be done by downloading certain third-party apps.
These could be either chargeable or free. If you want to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone, the following process is by using a third-party app called Groups. It is a free app with certain high-end features and is quite effective for deleting multiple contacts on the iPhone.
The following steps need to be followed for the same.
- Step 1 You have to download the Groups App from Apple Play Store. It is a free app that can be downloaded.
- Step 2 Once it is downloaded on your iPhone, you have to launch the application.
- Step 3 In the next step, you are to grant access to Groups to access your contacts.
- Step 4 Once you grant access, you have to select all contacts on the Groups app list.
- Step 5 You need to go through the contact list through Groups and select the contacts you want to delete or remove from your iPhone contact list. It is to be done by tapping on the circle outline, shown to the left of the Contact Name.
- Step 6 After this, you have to choose the action you want to perform with it.
- Step 7 From the Pop-up Menu, you need to select the Delete option
- Step 8 The last and final step is to select Remove from my iPhone and confirm the same.
Once you follow these steps, the contact information chosen and removed on the app would also be removed from the iPhone. You can verify the deletion of contact by visiting the Contact section on your iPhone.
Once you do this, you would find that the Contact list chosen and deleted through the Groups app would no longer show on your contact list on your iPhone.
Conclusion
If you are to ask which of the two methods suggested here is better, well in our opinion both are very effective. But in the case of using the second process, a third-party application needs to be downloaded.
When it comes to using third-party apps, you would be aware that there are always security concerns. However, in our opinion, the Groups as recommended here are a very safe application.
So as such, we do not perceive any significant risks associated with downloading the Groups app. What is also worth noting is that it is a free app. So, you need not pay for downloading or using it.
To conclude, we can say that it is somewhat of a drawback that the iPhone contact app does not allow users to delete multiple contacts as one go. The exact needs to be done manually, which can be pretty tedious and time-consuming.
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