Circle is not a replacement for Apple Contacts. Apple Contacts remains the source for names and contact details; Circle adds circles, stars, Keep Up and catch-ups.
The division
| Apple Contacts owns | Circle owns |
|---|---|
| Names | Which circles someone is in |
| Phone numbers and emails | Whether they are starred, and in what order |
| Addresses | How often you keep up with them |
| Photos | Your catch-ups with them |
| Birthdays | The way you last got in touch |
Edit someone’s number in Contacts and Circle refreshes the details from Contacts, including when you return to the app. It does not maintain a separate address book.
What this means in practice
- Nothing is duplicated. There is no second address book to maintain.
- Deleting Circle does not delete your Apple Contacts.
- Circle does not sync contact details. Its iCloud sync carries circles, stars, Keep Up and catch-ups. It does not upload names, phone numbers, email addresses, postal addresses, photos or birthdays because Circle does not store those fields.
Contacts without a name
Companies and part-filled records can clutter a list. Settings ▸ Contacts ▸ Show contacts without a name decides whether they appear.
Names and order
Two separate settings, which people often mix up:
- Display order: how a name is written: first name first, last name first, or first name only.
- Sort by: how the list is ordered: by first name, or by surname.
Settings ▸ Contacts ▸ Show index adds the A–Z scrubber for jumping down a long list.
Editing a contact
Circle can create and edit contacts, and those edits are saved directly to Apple Contacts. On Mac use ⌘N for a new contact and ⌘E to edit the selected one.
Missing people or changed permission
Check that the person exists in Apple Contacts on this device and that the relevant Contacts account is enabled there. With limited access, Circle can show only the people you have selected for it. Use Open Settings from Circle’s access message to review that selection or grant broader access if you want to.
Return to Circle after changing permission. It refreshes access when brought to the foreground. Reinstalling the app is not needed to change the permission. Circle’s own iCloud sync does not transfer an address book that is missing from Apple Contacts on another device.