Have you ever wondered how to delete read-only contacts on iPhones and Android devices? If you've ever used a Samsung or an iPhone, or just about any type of Android phone, there's a good chance you've seen contacts marked “Read Only.” Generally speaking, read-only contacts on iPhones and Android devices are contacts or accounts set up for or by third-party apps and services.
So, whenever applications like Whatsapp, Facebook, Viber, Instagram or even Snapchat request access to your contacts to help identify contacts who use the same services, these applications automatically create these contacts, and depending on the device that you use, these read-only contacts may or may not appear in your contact list.
How to change contacts to read-only on Android?
To manage read-only contacts on Android, you can go to Settings >> select Contacts to display >> select the account you want to include in the contacts list (you can also choose multiple ones under “Customize”) >> you can then go to the application you are using >>. There you can add or edit contacts.
How to delete read-only contacts on Android
The first thing I will recommend is to try to unpair the contact or separate the contact as you will find on some devices and versions of Android.
Whether you are using Android 8, 9, 10, or even Android 11, I recommend that you tap on the contact information you want to delete >> you should then tap on the three-dot icon in the upper right corner of the screen, or on any icon allowing you to modify a contact. >>You will then see a “Show linked contact” message appear in the pop-up window, click on it, select Unlink, then Unlink one last time.
After doing this, you can go back and try to delete the contact, and you will not lose the ones you have on your device.
I recommend using the Google Contact app, as it seems to be the easiest way to accomplish this. The Google Contact app also suggests merging contacts, and for some read-only contacts, we've seen situations where this option combines them all into one, and you don't have to deal with linked and duplicate contacts on your device.
Change or delete Google account
If you see additional read-only contacts after adding a new Google contact to your mobile device, you can easily tell that the reason why there are multiple contacts and the read-only contact is because your contacts are saved and saved in multiple Gmail accounts.
We therefore recommend that you delete Google accounts containing additional contacts from your device, which will automatically delete the additional read-only contacts on the device and ensure that only one version of the contacts is saved on your device.
Otherwise, we recommend setting the preferred source of contact information on your device. Just go to the Contacts app >> in the contacts list, select the three dots at the top right corner of the screen (you can also choose the Settings option) >> select Settings, and you will see a page where you can select different contact management options. Then you just need to select Display Preferences and choose the contacts source you want >> if you select “all contacts” you will probably see read-only contacts in the list (especially if your device doesn't have the automatic contact merge option), but if you select one of the options, you will only see contacts from that source.
This should help you remove read-only contacts and make sure your contacts are no longer duplicated.
Also Read: What does the blue dot next to contacts mean on Android and iPhones?
How to Delete Read-Only Contacts on an iPhone
2. The second way to delete read-only contacts on iPhone is to delete them from iCloud contacts, just like you would delete the contact from Google contacts. To do this, go to www.icloud.com using any web browser, sign in using your Apple ID and password >> go to Contacts and scroll down iCloud contacts list, find the contact you want to delete, tap the Edit button and scroll to the bottom of the page to delete the contact.
How to Remove Read-Only Contacts from WhatsApp (Android)
If you want to delete read-only contacts from WhatsApp on your Android phone, you need to Open WhatsApp app >> go to Chats >> select New Chat >> then find the contact in the list and select the one you want to delete > > tap the contact name at the top of the screen >> then select the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen >> select Show in address book >> select other options >> then select DELETE.
Read also: How to desynchronize contacts from your apps?