You may use Dextr on one phone and prefer to keep its data on that device. Or your iCloud storage may be full, and you want to keep working without waiting for more space. Dextr can work without its iCloud connection.
The change is made in Apple’s Settings app. Before you turn it off, make sure the device has the contacts and Dextr details you want to keep. Afterward, those details will no longer stay in sync with Dextr on your other devices.
Quick route on iPhone: Settings → your name → iCloud → See All → Dextr → turn off iCloud access. Then reopen Dextr and check your data.
Know which setting you are changing
There are three separate connections to understand:
- Dextr’s iCloud sync keeps Dextr contacts and context up to date between your Apple devices. This is the connection you turn off in this guide.
- Dextr’s Contacts Sync connects Dextr with Apple Contacts on your Primary Sync Device. Its switch is inside Dextr Settings.
- iCloud Backup backs up your iPhone or iPad. It has its own app-backup controls, separate from the app’s live iCloud sync.
Turning off Dextr’s iCloud access does not turn off iCloud for your whole phone. It also does not delete people from Apple Contacts or stop an iCloud, Google, or Exchange contacts account from syncing through Apple’s Contacts app.
If your goal is to keep editing Dextr without sending changes to Apple Contacts, review Contacts Sync instead. If your goal is to remove people from your address book, use How to Delete iCloud Contacts With Dextr.
1. Check your data before switching
Open Dextr on the device you plan to keep using. Let any initial iCloud sync finish, then check an existing contact and a few recent changes.
Look beyond names and phone numbers. Confirm that the details you care about—such as tags, a First Met event, introductions, and journal entries—are present too.
For a single-device setup that will continue using Apple Contacts, start on your current Primary Sync Device. If you need to move that role to a replacement phone, follow the multiple-devices guide while the existing iCloud setup is still working.
Keep a current backup of the information you need. A contact-card export is not a complete backup of your Dextr journal, reminders, and relationship context. If you intend to keep data out of iCloud, review the computer backup options below.
2. Turn off iCloud for Dextr
On iPhone or iPad
- Close Dextr completely from the app switcher.
- Open Apple’s Settings app and tap your name.
- Open iCloud.
- Beside Saved to iCloud, tap See All. Earlier versions may call this Show All.
- Find Dextr and turn off its iCloud switch. If Dextr opens a detail screen, turn off its sync control there.
The switch you want belongs to Dextr, not Contacts. You can leave other apps’ iCloud settings as they are. Apple’s guide to choosing which apps use iCloud shows the current settings on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
On Mac
Quit Dextr, then open System Settings → your name → iCloud. Under Saved to iCloud, open See All if necessary, select Dextr, and turn off its iCloud access.
On older macOS versions, look under Apps Using iCloud and Show More Apps.
The choice applies to that device. Repeat it on each device where you want Dextr to stop using iCloud. Devices left connected can continue syncing with one another.
3. Reopen Dextr and check the local copy
Open Dextr again so it starts with the updated iCloud setting. Tap Contacts in the bottom menu and review the list.
Open a familiar person’s profile and compare the same details you checked before the change. Then check a recent journal entry, reminder, or event if you use those features.
If expected information is missing, stop here before removing any cloud data. Check the device that still has the complete information and contact Dextr Support if you need help preserving it.
Once you have turned off Dextr’s iCloud connection on this device, new Dextr changes here will no longer travel to your other devices through that connection.
4. Choose whether to keep Apple Contacts connected
You can still use Contacts Sync locally on your Primary Sync Device when contact access and setup are complete.
In Dextr, open Home → Settings (gear) → Contacts Sync. If you want that connection to remain active, check Enable Contacts Sync, run Sync Now, and review Last Sync Results when available.
This setting connects Dextr to Apple Contacts on the device. Apple Contacts may then sync eligible changes through its own account. That is why turning off Dextr’s iCloud access alone does not make an iCloud-hosted address book local-only.
If you also want to stop Dextr from importing or exporting Apple Contacts changes, turn off Enable Contacts Sync. See the Contacts Sync guide for the setup and fields involved.
Keep a backup when working locally
When Dextr’s iCloud sync is off, the device’s local copy becomes especially important. Losing the device or deleting the app can put data at risk if you do not have a usable backup.
Turning off app sync does not, by itself, exclude the app’s local data from iCloud Backup. Apple explains that device backups can include information that is not already syncing separately to iCloud.
If you want to exclude Dextr from the device’s iCloud backup too, open Settings → your name → iCloud → Storage (or Manage Account Storage) → Backups → this device. Review Dextr’s backup setting if it is listed. Turning off an app’s backup removes its existing backed-up information, so review the confirmation carefully. Apple’s backup-storage instructions explain this separate control.
For a backup stored on your own computer, consider an encrypted iPhone or iPad backup on a Mac or PC. Apple’s comparison of backup methods explains what is included and how computer backups differ from sync.
Optional: remove Dextr’s stored iCloud data
Deleting the cloud copy is separate from turning off sync. You do not need to delete it just to stop this device from syncing.
Only continue if you intend to remove Dextr’s data from iCloud, have verified the local information you want to keep, and have a suitable backup.
- Turn off Dextr’s iCloud access on every device that should keep a local copy, then reopen each copy of Dextr and verify its data.
- Quit Dextr on those devices.
- On iPhone or iPad, open Settings → your name → iCloud → Storage (or Manage Account Storage).
- Find and open Dextr, if it is listed.
- Review Delete Data From iCloud, or the equivalent deletion option shown by your system, and its confirmation before proceeding.
This removes stored Dextr cloud data. Devices still connected to that cloud data can be affected, so do not treat it as cleanup for only the phone in your hand.
Afterward, reopen Dextr on the device you are keeping and check it again. If you only wanted to stop syncing, you can skip this entire section.
If you are leaving Dextr and want to remove the local copies as well as the cloud copy, follow How to Permanently Delete All Dextr Data. It also covers device backups, saved exports, and Pro cancellation.
If iCloud storage is full
Dextr can show iCloud Storage Full and disable Contacts Sync when the account is over its storage quota.
You have two options: free space in iCloud so Dextr can continue syncing, or use the steps above to work without Dextr’s iCloud connection.
After changing the setting, fully quit and reopen Dextr, then check Contacts Sync again. If the storage or setup message persists, tell Support the exact wording and which device you are using.
Turn iCloud back on later
Return to the same Apple settings and enable iCloud for Dextr. Reopen the app and allow time for syncing before judging whether all of your information has arrived.
If you have edited separate copies on several devices or deleted the earlier cloud data, preserve a backup and ask Support about your situation before reconnecting them. Do not assume one copy will simply replace every other copy.
When you are ready to use the same information across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac again, follow How to Use Dextr With Multiple Devices.
