Contacts Framework

Use CNContactStore, CNSaveRequest, and CNContactPickerViewController to fetch, create, update, or pick contacts in Swift 6.3 / iOS 26+ apps.

Contents

• Setup
• Authorization
• Fetching Contacts
• Key Descriptors
• Creating and Updating Contacts
• Contact Picker
• Observing Changes
• Common Mistakes
• Review Checklist
• References

Setup

Project Configuration

1. Add NSContactsUsageDescription to Info.plist explaining why the app accesses contacts. The app crashes if it uses contact data APIs without this key.
2. No additional capability or entitlement is required for ordinary Contacts access.
3. Add com.apple.developer.contacts.notes only when reading or writing CNContactNoteKey / CNContact.note; this entitlement requires Apple approval before public distribution.

Imports

@preconcurrency import Contacts  // CNContactStore, CNSaveRequest, CNContact
import ContactsUI                // CNContactPickerViewController

Authorization

Request access before fetching or saving contacts. The picker (CNContactPickerViewController) does not require authorization -- the system grants access only to the contacts the user selects.

let store = CNContactStore()

func requestAccess() async throws -> Bool {
    return try await store.requestAccess(for: .contacts)
}

// Check current status without prompting
func checkStatus() -> CNAuthorizationStatus {
    CNContactStore.authorizationStatus(for: .contacts)
}

Authorization States