How can I add a custom label to iPhone contact numbers?

How can I add a custom label to iPhone contact numbers?

The iPhone Contacts app provides several labels for numbers, such as main, mobile and work to identify different lines. What if you need to add a label not included in the list, to identify multiple mobile lines or a land line for a contact?

You can add a custom label to any number by tapping the Edit button while viewing the contact. Touch the label to the left of the phone number. Scroll down to the bottom of the list of labels, and tap Add Custom Label. Enter the custom label text and touch Save.

Your custom label is now added to the list of contact number labels, and can be selected to label any phone number.

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Comments

Anonymous replied on

Worked for me too: Settings - Mail, Contacts, Reminders - scroll to Default Account and change to iCloud from Outlook and customs labels are available. Then have to re-input as can't edit contacts which are already in.

Anonymous replied on

Well done Anonymous! It works in iCloud. It's irritating, especially as you have to rewrite your contact, but you can return to your default email without loosing the custom labels. Nevertheless, Apple needs to get its act together and sort this issue out.

Mickie Paddy replied on

Anon is correct I inadvertently removed mine and when I set to I Cloud as default email account all returned and no problem adding custom labels to my contacts too easy I click contacts groups click Show all contacts and click I Cloud as default account all ok again hope that helps love my I phone

Curious Cat replied on

Thank you Mr. Anonymous!

This was driving me crazy for over an hour of trying to import a contact with more than 12 phone numbers and having it mysteriously fail.

I think Microsoft Exchange server doesn't support custom phone labels, and only supports 12 different phone labels. My exchange contacts no longer have an "Add Phone Number" button after you have added 12 phone numbers, and also when you try to add a third work phone number, it mysteriously switches it to "car" or "pager" or something that isn't taken yet.

When you switch the default to iCloud, then you can import contacts with lots of phone numbers such as one that contains all of the 1000 phone numbers that AT&T @txt.att.net email to SMS gateway messages might appear to arrive from. This lets me set a default ringtone for such SMS messages, which is what I need.

Anonymous replied on

Thank you, it worked for me as well.

Anonymous replied on

I don't have that option, I have "Exchange ActiveSync and On My iPhone" options only. What to do now??

Fara replied on

Please check this comment above because it is correct and I fixed my problem following these instructions:
Anonymous replied on May 9, 2014 - 10:12am PERMALINK

Anonymous replied on

Brilliant! Solved thanks!

Anonymous replied on

THANK YOU! This ridiculous problem is now solved thanks to your setting advice.

ABIE KALLIE replied on

Thank you sincerely for explaining the problem and giving the solution - it worked 100%. God bless you:)

Canman replied on

Thanks this worked

Mickie Paddy replied on

Anon is correct I inadvertently removed mine and when I set to I Cloud as default email account all returned and no problem adding custom labels to my contacts too easy I click contacts groups click Show all contacts and click I Cloud as default account all ok again hope that helps love my I phone

Mimi replied on

I did what from here told us to do, to put icloud contacts as default! It worked! Yey!

Mimi replied on

Sorry.. misspelled... "I did what somebody from here told us to do, to put icloud contacts as default! It worked! Yey!"
:)

Anonymous replied on

Contacts added to outlook, before changing default contacts account in settings/contacts to an apple based account didn't have custom label for me and had to be re-entered manually.

Majid replied on

How can I sort all of names in custom label?
I don't had problem in sorted all of names in iOS 6 but after update of my iOS to iOS 7 that's occured.thanks

Majid replied on

How can I sort all of names in custom label?
I don't had problem in sorted all of names in iOS 6 but after update of my iOS to iOS 7 that's occured.thanks for reply in whatsApp : +12132857290 or viber : +19152576273

Nasser replied on

Guys,
If i Push on (add a new label) for sellecting the mobile distribution (like country...etc),
The (message) photo disappears from the info , just telephone photo stays,
Can anyone help me sort out this issue, some times i need to send a message not make a phone call

Jan Enderle replied on

This is problematic. All of my friends' contact numbers are custom labeled with their first names. I can no longer text to these numbers. If anyone has a solution, I would really appreciate it.

Anonymous replied on

Thanks so much. I have been wondering how to do this. Your solution was super easy.

John replied on

I find that sometimes I have the custom label and other times I don't. It seems that if I make an entry on home or work and then attempt to find a custom label, it doesn't appear.

If however, I start with the custom label, I continue to have that option.

Sharad Bijur replied on

In both iphone 4 and 5, you get this option only when you edit the contact and not when you create the contact

Anonymous replied on

That used to work, but doesn't any longer.

Tony replied on

That is stupid. Why take away something useful. Just another reason why this will be my last iPhone!

Bill Shaw replied on

There's a simple answer to this one as to why Custom Name appears to behave differently across different iPhone/iPad models and versions of IOS. It's because they have not been set up correctly to achieve it. Two things must be done:-

1. In Settings/Contacts the Default Account must be set to iCloud
2. Just reboot the device.

Piece of cake.

Happy Contacting unless you're a Pedo/Perv

Rogan replied on

I could never figure this out on an IPhone either but I think I just have. Instead of adding the contact via the contacts icon on your phone main screen, dial the number you want to add as if you were calling them, hit the + on the top left of the screen which gives you the "create new" or "add to existing contact" selection. From there enter in the details, then hit the label where you choose the label tag you want but now you should have the "Add Custom Label" at the bottom.

Hope that works

Sherry replied on

I changed my default email account to iCloud, but that did not solve the problem. I can create custom labels on new contacts, but not on any that that already exist.

Mark Field replied on

I had the same problem on my new iPhone 8 Plus. When I checked Settings-Contacts, it said my Default Account was Outlook (from my former Hotmail/current Live email account). I tapped Default Account and put the check mark on my iCloud (Apple) account. Problem solved!!!!

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