Contacts — Discipline

Core Philosophy

"The contact access button is a powerful new way to manage access to contacts, right in your app. Instead of a full-screen picker, this button fits into your existing UI."

Mental model: Contacts has four authorization levels. Most apps should use the Contact Access Button or CNContactPickerViewController, which require no authorization at all. Only request store access when you need persistent contact data.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Reading or writing contacts
• Choosing between picker, Contact Access Button, or full store access
• Requesting Contacts permissions
• Implementing contact search or selection UIs
• Migrating to iOS 18 limited access
• Building a Contact Provider extension
• Implementing incremental contact sync