Trying to add a favorite on iPhone can mean several different things: a person in Phone, a website in Safari, a place in Maps, a memory in Photos, or a folder in Files. The right button changes by app, and current iOS labels do not always match older tutorials. Start with the type of favorite you want to save, then use the exact path below.
Add Someone to Phone Favorites
Use this when you want a person to appear in the Phone app’s Favorites list for quick calling or messaging. In the current unified Phone layout, the add control sits inside Calls editing.
Open the Phone app and go to Calls. Tap Edit, then tap Add Favorite.
Select the contact you want to add. Choose the callable or messageable method you want saved as the favorite. If you already have a favorite, open Phone, go to Calls, tap Edit, tap Edit Favorites, then use the Add button.
If your Phone app is set to the Classic layout instead, tap Favorites at the bottom of the screen, tap the Add button, then choose the contact and the communication method you want saved.
Use Contacts Instead
This fixes the case where you find the person in Contacts first. Open the Contacts app and select the contact you want to add.
Scroll down on the contact card. Tap Add to Favorites, then choose the phone, message, or other available contact method for that favorite.
Favorites added from Contacts appear in the Phone app’s Favorites list. Calls from these contacts can bypass Do Not Disturb.
Save a Website in Safari
Open the Safari app and go to the webpage you want to save. Tap the More button.
Tap Add Bookmark to. Choose Favorites as the location, then tap Save.
If Safari uses the Bottom or Top Tabs layout, touch and hold the Show Bookmarks button, tap Add Bookmark, choose Favorites, then tap Save.
If Favorites are saved but not showing where you expect, tap the More button, tap New Tab, scroll to the bottom of the start page, tap Edit, then turn on Favorites.
Put a Website on the Home Screen
A Home Screen website icon is different from a Safari Favorites bookmark. It gives you a tappable icon for a site you open all the time.
Open Safari and go to the website. Tap the More button, then tap Share.
Scroll down the list of options, then tap Add to Home Screen. If you do not see it, scroll to the bottom of the list, tap Edit Actions, then add it. Tap Add to confirm. If this method does not give you the shortcut you wanted, save the page to Safari Favorites instead.
Favorite People and Pets in Photos
This fixes the Photos favorite you want when a recognized person or pet should be easier to find. Open the Photos app, then tap Collections.
Open People & Pets. Touch and hold the person or pet’s key photo, then tap Favorite.
To favorite several entries at once, open People & Pets, tap Edit, tap each person you want to favorite, then tap the Favorite button at the bottom.
Favorite Memories in Photos
Use this when the item you want to keep close is a Photos Memory, not a person, pet, or regular photo collection. Favorite Memories live in their own Photos surface.
Open Photos and tap Collections. Swipe left under Memories, or tap Memories. Touch and hold the memory you want to save, then tap Add to Favorite Memories.
To find photo Favorites later, open Photos, tap Collections, open the Pinned collection, then tap Favorites.
Use Places and Guides in Maps
Maps now centers saved locations around Places, Pinned, and Guides. To save a place, open its place card and tap Add, or tap the place card’s More button and choose Add to Places.
For places you use constantly, go below Places, tap Add, search for a place or tap a suggestion, then tap Done. Maps can also save common labels through Home, Work, School, or Add to Contact Card.
If you want the built-in Favorites guide, tap a place on the map or in search results, open the place card, tap More, tap Add to Guides, choose Favorites, then tap Done.
Save Music Podcasts Files and News
These apps use favorites, follows, or saved lists for quick access.
- 1.In Music, touch and hold a playlist, album, or song, then tap Favorite.
- 2.In Music, open an artist page and tap the Favorite button at the top.
- 3.In Podcasts, search or browse for a show and tap Follow, or open More and tap Follow Show from an episode or Now Playing.
- 4.In Files, open a location, touch and hold a folder, then tap Favorite; find it later from Browse > Favorites.
- 5.In News, open Following, tap Edit, then tap the Add Favorite button next to a channel or topic.
Handle Work or School Favorites
This fixes favorites that appear on an enrolled iPhone without you adding them yourself. Managed iPhones can receive website icons on the Home Screen through Web Clips.
Managed iPhones can also receive Safari bookmarks in a separate managed folder. That Safari browsing configuration requires iOS 26 or later, and on iPhone it reaches the device through Automated Device Enrollment.
For a personal iPhone, use the app controls above. If an employer or school controls the favorites, ask the organization that manages the iPhone to change the Web Clips or managed Safari bookmarks.
The Favorites tab and its add button are not gone. iOS 26 gives the Phone app two layouts, and both are current. In the Unified layout, use Calls > Edit > Add Favorite.
In the Classic layout, tap Favorites at the bottom of the screen, then tap the Add button. To switch layouts, open Phone, tap Calls in Unified or Recents in Classic, tap the Filter button in the upper-right corner, then tap Classic or Unified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Phone app still have a Favorites tab?
Yes, in the Classic layout. iOS 26 offers two Phone layouts and both are current. Apple lists Favorites > Add for the Classic layout and Calls > Edit > Add Favorite for the Unified layout. Switch between them with the Filter button on the Calls or Recents tab.
Is a Safari favorite the same as a Home Screen website icon?
No. A Safari favorite is saved as a bookmark in the Favorites location. A Home Screen website icon is a separate shortcut added from Safari’s Share menu.
Where do favorite songs go on iPhone?
Favorite songs appear in the Favorite Songs playlist in Music under Library > Playlists.
Can favorites sync between Apple Photos and Google Photos?
Yes. In Google Photos, go to Profile picture or initial > Google Photos settings > Apps & devices > Apple Photos > Sync favorites to sync favorites between Apple Photos and Google Photos.