Mac Format - UK (2020-04)

46 | MACFORMAT | APRIL 2020 macformat.com @macformat

Make more of Contacts

The Contacts app is capable of doing so much more than storing names

IT WILL TAKE

15 minutes

YOU WILL LEARN

How to create

groups, set nicknames

and add relationships

YOU’LL NEED

An iPhone with

iOS 13; a Mac with

macOS Catalina

Apple’s built-in Contacts

application is home to all the

phone numbers, email IDs and

addresses you save. Did you

know that it can do so much more though?

If you frequently broadcast a message to a

group of people, why not create a group so

that you don’t have to manually add them

each time you send a text? Or how about

linking contacts by their relationship, so that

you can call your plumber, boss or sibling

without having to search for their name?

To take advantage of these awesome features,

you will need to sync your contacts with

iCloud. While some features will work without

iCloud, using iCloud simplifies the process.

Adding relationships and nicknames can

be done straight from the Contacts app

on your Mac, iPhone or iPad, or by going

to iCloud.com. However, you will need to use

Contacts on your Mac to manage groups.

So power up your Mac, grab your iPhone,

and read on to learn how to get the most out

of the Contacts app. Srivats Lakshman

HOW TO Create groups

1

Sync with iCloud

Open Settings on your iPhone, then

Apple ID > iCloud. Ensure Contacts is

enabled. Then go to Settings > Contacts >

Default Account and select iCloud. This

will ensure any new contacts created

are stored in iCloud by default.

2

Create a Smart Group

In Contacts on macOS, press

ß+ç+N to create a Smart Group.

Define your criteria for that group and

Contacts will automatically populate it

with any contacts that match. This also

applies to any new contacts you add.

3

Manually create a group

If you don’t have a set of common

criteria, but still want to create a group,

tap the + button to the right of the iCloud

label in in the left-hand pane. Name the

group and then drag the relevant

contacts into it to populate the list.