Your address book already holds years of connections. You should not have to rebuild it to start remembering people better. Contacts Sync brings the people in Apple Contacts into Dextr, where you can add the context that a name and number cannot capture.
It also works in the other direction: supported contact details you add or change in Dextr can be sent back to Apple Contacts. One Primary Sync Device handles that connection. This guide shows how to set it up, check the results, and understand where to look when something is missing.
Understand the two kinds of sync
Dextr uses two related sync paths:
- Contacts Sync connects Dextr with the Apple Contacts library on your Primary Sync Device. It imports contacts and sends supported changes back.
- iCloud Sync carries Dextr’s own data between your devices using your iCloud account, including the relationship context you add in Dextr.
Your Primary Sync Device is usually your everyday iPhone. You can still edit Dextr on another supported device; those changes must reach the primary device before it can update Apple Contacts. See using Dextr with multiple devices for adding another iPhone, iPad, or Mac without moving the primary connection.
Apple Contacts can contain records from iCloud and other accounts. Dextr works with the contacts available to it on the primary device; it does not independently sign in to each of those accounts.
1. Open Contacts Sync from Home
- Open Dextr and tap Home in the bottom menu.
- Tap the Settings gear in the upper-left corner.
Next, in Settings, tap Contacts Sync.
This is the place to review setup, start a manual sync, inspect the last results, and check which contact card represents you.
2. Enable sync and finish setup
Turn on Enable Contacts Sync if it is off. If setup has not been completed, tap Setup Contacts Sync and follow the prompts.
When Dextr asks for contact access, choose the access level you want to use. Full Access lets it work with your entire address book. Limited Access makes only your selected contacts available.
During setup, select your own contact card when prompted, check that Dextr has identified you correctly, and allow the initial import to finish. If you already completed setup during onboarding, you may see Sync Now immediately instead.
The completed setup above shows the three main controls: Enable Contacts Sync, Sync Now, and Last Sync Results. The text beneath them shows when contacts last synced.
Change contact-access permissions
If you previously declined access, Dextr can show Grant Access in iOS Settings. With limited access, it can show Increase Contacts Access.
You can also open the iPhone’s Settings → Privacy & Security → Contacts → Dextr. Review its access level, or use Edit Selected Contacts to adjust the people included under Limited Access. Apple explains these controls in its contact-access guide.
After changing permission, return to Dextr and allow sync to run. A contact outside the allowed selection will not appear simply because you tap Sync Now again.
3. Keep one Primary Sync Device
Only one device performs Contacts Sync at a time. If this screen says Multiple Devices, another device using your iCloud account is already handling the connection with Apple Contacts.
You can keep using Dextr on the current device. Open Dextr on the existing primary device when you need its Apple Contacts library to catch up.
If you have replaced your phone or reinstalled Dextr and need to move that responsibility, use Make This My Primary Device on the device you intend to keep using. Let its existing Dextr data arrive through iCloud first, then review the Switch Primary Sync Device confirmation.
The confirmation explains that switching can produce duplicate imports for contacts without enough identifying information. Use the multiple-device guide when moving to a new device.
4. Run Sync Now and review the results
On your Primary Sync Device, open Home → Settings → Contacts Sync and tap Sync Now. Let the progress finish, then check the last-synced time and open Last Sync Results.
The results describe that sync run, not the total size of your address book:
- Imported: new contacts brought into Dextr.
- Updated: existing Dextr contacts updated from Apple Contacts.
- Unlinked: contacts whose link to an Apple Contacts record became unavailable.
- Not Imported: records skipped during import. Read any notice for the reason.
- Pending Export: incoming updates skipped because Dextr had local contact changes waiting to be exported.
- Exported: contact records written back to Apple Contacts.
For example, a Not Imported notice may identify a record with no usable name. Add a first, middle, or last name, nickname, or organization name in Apple Contacts, then sync again.
An unchanged contact does not need to appear as Imported or Updated on every run. A result of zero new imports can be normal when everything is already present.
Know which details sync
Standard contact details supported by Dextr include names, nicknames, phone numbers, email addresses, photos, birthdays, job and organization information, postal addresses, contact notes, important dates, and supported social profiles. The account storing an Apple contact can limit which fields it accepts.
Ada’s phone number is a standard contact detail. Her First Met event, Introduced By connection, Tags, and Relation to You add a different kind of context inside Dextr.
That Dextr context is not exported as equivalent fields in Apple Contacts. Journal entries, reminders, and relationships between contacts also belong to Dextr. They can travel with your Dextr data through iCloud Sync without appearing in Apple Contacts.
Use tags and Tag Groups, journal entries, and introductions to build on the contact details you import.
Why a new Dextr contact may stay in Dextr
A newly created Dextr contact needs a phone number, email address, or social profile before it is eligible for automatic export to Apple Contacts.
That lets you save someone you just met even if you only know their name. Add their contact information later, and Dextr can export the eligible record through your Primary Sync Device.
A person originally imported from Apple Contacts can remain linked even without those communication details. The rule for exporting a new Dextr record is different from importing an existing Apple record.
Check your own contact card
The Change Your Contact Card row near the bottom of Contacts Sync shows the contact Dextr uses for you. If you chose the wrong person during setup, tap that row, select your correct card, and review the confirmation.
If Dextr instead reports Contact Card is Unlinked, use Select Your Name to reconnect your own record. Follow that repair flow rather than creating another copy of yourself.
Find out why a contact is missing
Start with the direction of the missing change.
A person in Apple Contacts is missing from Dextr
- Open Apple Contacts on the Primary Sync Device and confirm the person is there.
- Check that Dextr has access to that person, especially if you chose Limited Access.
- Make sure the record has a name, nickname, or organization name.
- Run Sync Now, then read Last Sync Results and any notices.
If the person belongs to an account that is not available on that iPhone, check Settings → Apps → Contacts → Contacts Accounts. Apple’s Contacts account guide explains how to make an account’s contacts available on the device.
A person in Dextr is missing from Apple Contacts
Check that a new record has a phone number, email address, or social profile. Then open Dextr on your Primary Sync Device, confirm Contacts Sync is enabled, and let it finish.
If the change was made on another device, it first needs to arrive through iCloud Sync. Also check whether the contact is read-only or has been unlinked.
A contact has become unlinked
When a previously linked Apple Contacts record is no longer available, Dextr can retain the person and mark the contact as unlinked.
When applicable, Unlinked from Apple Contacts appears in Contacts Sync settings. Open it to review the affected people. This row is shown when there are unlinked contacts and Dextr has full contact access.
Unlinked contacts are not automatically treated as ordinary new records to export again. First check whether the original contact or its account is still available in Apple Contacts.
Settings are temporarily unavailable
Follow the message shown by Dextr:
- Syncing With iCloud: existing Dextr data is still arriving. Keep a reliable connection and allow it to finish.
- iCloud Storage Full: resolve the storage issue, or follow the in-app guidance if you want to use Dextr without iCloud.
- Settings Unavailable: Dextr cannot currently verify the sync state. Wait a few minutes and try again.
- Switching Primary Sync Device: let the switch complete before changing sync settings again.
If the problem persists, contact Dextr Support with the exact message, which device is primary, and where the missing change is visible.
If iCloud storage is full and you want to keep using Dextr locally, follow How to Use Dextr Without iCloud for the system-settings steps and local-data checks. Dextr’s iCloud connection and its Apple Contacts connection have separate controls.
Organize your contacts after the import
Once the first sync is complete, open a few familiar people and check their details. Then start adding the context that will make them easier to remember.
Use How to Clean Up Your Contacts with Dextr to review, archive, and organize your address book. If you find duplicates, compare the records and review Merge Preview before combining them.
Archiving, merging, and deleting do different things. When you want to permanently remove linked records, follow the separate iCloud-contact deletion guide for the backup and confirmation steps.
