How do I ensure all new contacts are saved to Google and not 'On my iPhone' on iOS 18.3.2?

I realized I was missing some contacts because they were being saved “On my iPhone” instead of Google. The same thing happened with the Calendar, but at least with the Calendar, you can still disable “On my iPhone.”


It seems this happened after one of the recent iOS updates (I’m currently on iOS 18.3.2).

I’ve always used Google as the default for my Contacts and Calendar, but Apple has removed the option to set a default account for the Address Book.


My question is:

How can I ensure that all new contacts are saved to my Google account and not “On my iPhone”?


To make matters worse, this feels like an antitrust violation. My iCloud contact sync was disabled, yet the “On my iPhone” option was automatically turned on, and iCloud sync for the Address Book was re-enabled without my consent.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Mar 31, 2025 12:57 PM

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Apr 1, 2025 12:20 AM in response to pontix

What is your default Contacts account?





Unlike some Android devices, contacts are neither stored locally on an iPhone nor in the SIM. They are synced to an email account that you have Google, iCloud, AOL, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo, or any Other



If you have a corporate email account added through a profile on your device, please check with your organization's system administrator.




  1. Is this your corporate/organization/enterprise/School Management iPhone? Then please contact the system administrator of your corporate//organisation/enterprise/School Management
  2. If it is your device, in that case, do you have any profile installed by your corporate/organization/enterprise/School Management?
    1. Erase the profile added by you. If you have installed a profile on your own, --> Install or remove configuration profiles on iPhone - Apple ...
    2. Please contact the system administrator of the organization who provided the profile to you




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How do I ensure all new contacts are saved to Google and not 'On my iPhone' on iOS 18.3.2?

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