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Calling and texting people is probably a big part of what you do on your Android phone. Why not make it as easy as possible to reach your favorites? We'll show you how to add shortcuts to contacts.

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Add Contacts to Home Screen with Google Contacts

Google has its own Contacts app that comes pre-installed on Pixel phones, but it's also available in the Play Store for all Android devices. This is the first method we'll use to add contacts to the home screen.

Open the Google Contacts app and select a contact from the list.

Open the Google Contacts app and select any contact from the list.

Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner.

Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner.

Select "Add to Home Screen."

Select "Add to Home Screen."

Now you can either touch and hold the icon to manually place it on the home screen or select "Add to Home Screen" to put it there automatically.

Now you can either touch and hold the icon to manually place it on the home screen or select "Add to Home Screen" to put it there automatically.

The shortcut will now be on your home screen, and you can tap it to quickly go to the person's contact page and start a call or text!

Tap the shortcut to quickly go to the person's contact page and start a call or text!

Add Contacts to Home Screen with Samsung Contacts

Samsung's built-in Contacts app for Galaxy devices also supports home screen shortcuts, though it's not quite as simple as the Google Contacts app. We have to use a widget.

First, touch and hold any blank space on the home screen and select "Widgets."

First, touch and hold any blank space on the home screen and select "Widgets."

Scroll through the list of widgets until you find "Contacts."

Scroll through the list of widgets until you find "Contacts."

This will bring up a menu where you can actually choose from three different contact shortcuts.

  • Contact: Open the person's contact information page.
  • Direct Dial: Immediately starts a phone call.
  • Direct Message: Opens directly to an SMS conversation with the person.

Scroll from left to right to choose a widget, then tap "Add."

Scroll from left to right to choose a widget, then tap "Add."

Next, select the contact for the shortcut.

Next, select the contact for the shortcut.

The shortcut will be added to your home screen, and you can simply tap it to do the selected action!

The shortcut will be added to your home screen and you can simply tap it to do the selected action!

Little things like this can make life a lot easier. You might have a few people you contact a lot, and you could put all these shortcuts on one page for easy access.

Related: How to Add Google Maps Shortcuts to Your Android Home Screen