TapOpenUsing the Contacts widget
Some phones still ship a Contacts widget. Touch and hold an empty part of the home screen, tap Widgets, find Contacts, and drag a contact widget out. Not every phone has this, and the options vary by brand.
Using TapOpen
- Open TapOpen and tap Contacts.
- Allow access to contacts when Android asks. TapOpen needs this only to show your contact list.
- Pick the person.
- Choose what the shortcut does, such as call or text.
- Set a name like Mom or Office, then add it to the home screen.
For a phone set up for someone else, put two or three contact shortcuts on the first home screen and make the icons large in your launcher settings.
Call someone from the notification panel
You can also add a contact as a Quick Settings tile. Swipe down from the top of any screen and tap the tile to call. This is quicker than going back to the home screen when you are in another app.
Is it private?
The shortcut lives on your phone like any other icon. Anyone who can use your home screen can tap it, so if your phone is shared, keep that in mind when you pick names.