# How to back up your iPhone contacts automatically

Source: https://exportcontacts.com/guides/automatic-contacts-backup-iphone/
Updated: 2026-11-14 · By the Contaxo team

> In the **Shortcuts** app, create an automation with **Time of Day**, set it to repeat **Weekly** and choose **Run Immediately**. Add Contaxo's **Back Up Contacts** action. Every week your contacts are saved as a vCard file in iCloud Drive, without opening Contaxo. Backups in Contaxo are free.

## What you need

- An iPhone or iPad with iOS 16 or later
- The free Contaxo app (backups are free for all your contacts)
- The Shortcuts app (built into iOS)

## Create a weekly backup automation

1. **Open Shortcuts › Automation.** Open the **Shortcuts** app, tap **Automation** at the bottom, then **+** (or **New Automation**).
2. **Choose Time of Day.** Tap **Time of Day**, pick a time such as Sunday 9:00, choose **Weekly** and the day, then select **Run Immediately** so it doesn't ask you each time. Tap **Next**.
3. **Add Back Up Contacts.** Tap **New Blank Automation** or **Add Action**, search for **Contaxo** and choose **Back Up Contacts**. Tap **Done**.
4. **Check it ran.** After the first run, open Contaxo: the Home tab shows when you last backed up.

## Why automate it

Most people back up once and forget. Contacts get deleted by accident, overwritten by a bad sync or merged wrongly, and the change reaches every device. A weekly file means you can always go back at most a week. With Contaxo, a [restore](https://exportcontacts.com/backup/) adds back only the missing contacts, so you can use an older backup without creating duplicates.

## Tips

- **Pick a time your phone is usually charging and online**, such as Sunday morning.
- **Keep a copy off the phone** from time to time: in Contaxo, tap **Share backup** and save it to Google Drive or your computer. Your first share is free.
- **Turn on reminders** in **Settings › Backup Settings** as a safety net in case an automation doesn't run.

## On a Mac

Contaxo for Mac backs up your Mac's contacts with one click, and backups made on your iPhone in iCloud Drive appear on the Mac too. See [Contaxo for Mac](https://exportcontacts.com/mac/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Where are the automatic backups saved?

In the same place as Back Up Now: your iCloud Drive, or on the iPhone if iCloud Drive is off. You can share any backup to Google Drive, Mail or AirDrop.

### How do I know the automation worked?

Open Contaxo: the Home tab shows when you last backed up and how many contacts changed since. iOS also shows a notification when an automation runs.

### Can I back up only when my contacts changed?

Contaxo's backup reminders can be set to weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly or only when contacts changed (Settings › Backup Settings). The automation itself runs on the schedule you set.

### Is there an automatic backup on Android?

On Android, add the **Back Up Contacts** shortcut to your home screen for one-tap backups, and turn on backup reminders in Contaxo's settings.

### Does a backup replace iCloud sync?

No, it complements it. Sync keeps your devices the same; a backup is a copy from a point in time that you can return to after a deletion or a bad sync.

## Related

- [How to back up and restore your contacts](https://exportcontacts.com/backup/)
- [How to restore deleted contacts on iPhone and Android](https://exportcontacts.com/guides/restore-deleted-contacts/)
- [How to back up your iPhone contacts without iCloud](https://exportcontacts.com/guides/back-up-iphone-contacts-without-icloud/)
- [Contaxo for iPhone, iPad and Mac](https://exportcontacts.com/iphone/)

Get Contaxo: App Store https://apps.apple.com/app/id1546550155 · Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onnex.exportcontacts.excel.backup