Add Favorite Contacts on Samsung Galaxy J7

This guide shows you how to mark contacts as favorites on your Samsung Galaxy J7, so you can quickly reach the people you call and text most often. You’ll learn the simplest method using the built-in Contacts app, plus a few handy tips to manage your favorites list. No special tools or apps are needed – just your phone.

What You’ll Need

• Your Samsung Galaxy J7 (any variant, including J7, J7 Prime, J7 Perx, etc.)
• Your contacts synced to the phone (from Google, Samsung account, or SIM card)
• Familiarity with the basic touchscreen gestures (tap, swipe)

Step-by-Step

1. Open the Contacts app. Locate the Contacts icon on your home screen or in the app drawer. It typically looks like a silhouette of a person or a book. Tap it to open.
2. Find the contact you want to favorite. Scroll through your contact list, or use the search bar at the top by tapping the magnifying glass icon and typing the name. You can also use the alphabet index on the right side to jump to the first letter of the name.
3. Open the contact’s details. Tap on the contact’s name to view their full profile page, which shows all their phone numbers, email addresses, and other info.
4. Tap the star icon. On the contact’s detail page, look for a star icon (☆) – usually located near the top right corner or next to the contact’s name. Tap it once. The star will fill in and turn gold or yellow (★), indicating that this contact is now a favorite.
5. Repeat for other contacts. Go back to your contact list and repeat steps 2–4 for any other people you want to add to your favorites.
6. View your favorites. To see all your favorite contacts, return to the main Contacts screen. Swipe right or tap the Favorites tab (often represented by a star icon) at the top of the screen. All your starred contacts will be listed there, making it quick to call or text them.

Common Mistakes

• Tapping the wrong star. Some contacts have multiple numbers (mobile, home, work). The star on the contact’s detail page applies to the entire contact, not a specific number. If you see a star next to each number, tapping it may only favorite that particular number – but on the J7, the main star at the top favorites the whole contact.
• Forgetting to save changes. On some older versions of Android, if you edit a contact and then tap the star, you might need to tap Save before leaving the screen. If you don’t see a save button, the star is saved automatically.
• Looking for a separate “Favorites” app. Favorites are not a separate app – they live inside the Contacts app. If you can’t find the Favorites tab, make sure you’re in the Contacts app, not the Phone dialer (though the Phone app also has a Favorites tab).
• Starring a contact from the call log. If you tap a phone number in your call log and then tap the star, it may only favorite that number, not the whole contact. Always open the full contact page to star the person.

Tips

• Use the Favorites tab in the Phone app too. The Phone app (where you dial numbers) also has a Favorites tab at the top. Contacts you star in the Contacts app will automatically appear there, giving you one-tap access to call them.
• Add a home screen shortcut. To make a favorite even more accessible, you can add a direct dial or direct message widget to your home screen. Long-press an empty spot on your home screen, select Widgets, then find Direct dial or Direct message. Choose the contact from your favorites.
• Use the search bar. If you have many favorites, use the search bar in the Favorites tab to quickly filter them by name.
• Remove favorites easily. To unfavorite a contact, simply open their details and tap the gold star again – it will turn gray and the contact will be removed from your favorites list.
• Sync your favorites. If you sign in with your Google or Samsung account, your favorites are usually synced across devices. So if you get a new phone, your favorites may appear automatically.

Troubleshooting

The star is not showing up. If you don’t see a star on the contact’s detail page, it might be because the contact is stored on your SIM card. SIM contacts sometimes have limited fields and may not support favorites. Try copying the contact to your phone’s internal storage: go to Contacts → Settings (three vertical dots menu) → Import/Export → Copy from SIM card. Once copied, the star should appear.

Favorites tab is missing. On some J7 models, the Favorites tab may not be visible by default. Swipe right on the Contacts screen to scroll through tabs – you should see Contacts, Favorites, and sometimes Groups. If you still don’t see it, try restarting the Contacts app (close it and reopen) or restarting your phone.

Starred contacts don’t appear in Favorites. If you’ve starred a contact but it doesn’t show in the Favorites tab, try force-stopping the Contacts app: go to Settings → Apps → Contacts → Force stop. Then reopen Contacts. If that fails, clear the cache for the Contacts app (Settings → Apps → Contacts → Storage → Clear cache). This won’t delete your contacts.

Favorites are not syncing. If your favorites don’t appear on another device, check that you’re signed in to the same account (Google or Samsung) on both devices and that contact sync is enabled. Go to Settings → Accounts and backup → Accounts → select your account → ensure Contacts is toggled on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I favorite a contact from the call log?
A: Yes, but it’s better to open the full contact page. In the call log, tap the contact’s name, then tap the star on their profile page. Tapping the star directly next to the phone number in the call log may only favorite that specific number.

Q: What happens when I unfavorite a contact?
A: The contact is simply removed from your Favorites list. It stays in your regular contact list, and no information is deleted.

Q: Can I reorder my favorites?
A: On the Samsung Galaxy J7, the Favorites list is automatically sorted by the order you added them, and there is no built-in drag-and-drop reorder feature. You can remove and re-add a contact to move it to the end of the list.

Q: Will my favorites be saved if I reset my phone?
A: If your contacts are synced to your Google or Samsung account, your favorites will be restored after you sign in on the reset phone. If you only store contacts on the SIM card, favorites may be lost.

Q: Can I favorite a contact from the messaging app?
A: No, the star icon only appears in the Contacts app. However, you can open a conversation in the messaging app, tap the contact’s name at the top, and then tap the star on their contact page.

Q: Why do some contacts have a star but others don’t?
A: The star indicates that the contact is a favorite. You have to manually star each contact – there’s no automatic favorite based on call frequency on the J7.

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