When you receive a digital business card, it usually comes in the form of a .VCF file, also known as a vCard. This guide explains what this format is and how to save a contact correctly on your smartphone.
What is a VCF (vCard) file?
A VCF file is a standard format for sharing contact information.
A vCard can contain, for example :
- first and last name
- company
- telephone number
- email address
- postal address
- website
- profile photo
This format has been around since the 1990s and has been designed to work with the majority of systems:
- smartphones
- computers
- email software
- contact management applications
Thanks to this standard, a contact can be easily imported into an address book.
Why do I need to confirm the registration?
On modern smartphones, adding a contact requires manual validation.
In general, registration takes place in two steps:
- opening the contact record
- confirm that the contact has been added to the address book
This procedure is normal and voluntary.
Mobile systems require it for security and privacy protection reasons, to prevent websites or files from automatically adding contacts without the user's consent.
Save a contact on iPhone
On iPhone, saving a vCard generally works as follows:
- Click on the link or open the file .VCF.
- The contact record is displayed automatically
- Click on Add contact or Create new contact.
- Press Save.
The contact is then added to your Contacts application.
Save a contact on Android
On Android, the way it works may vary slightly depending on the brand of phone (Samsung, Google, Xiaomi, etc.), but the principle remains the same.
- Press on the .VCF file
- The contact file opens in the Contacts application.
- Click on Import or Save.
- Confirm that you wish to add the contact
Depending on your configuration, Android may also ask you where to save the contact :
- in the phone
- in your Google Account
- in another synchronised account
Opening times
In most cases :
- the VCF file is downloaded quasi instantaneously
- the contact form is displayed in a few seconds.
The time may vary slightly depending on :
- the internet connection
- the system version
- the brand of phone
Common problems
Here are some normal situations that may surprise users:
The contact does not register automatically
This is normal: you always need to confirm the addition of the contact.
An application asks how to open the file
Some phones ask you to choose an application to open the vCard. Simply select Contacts.
The phone asks where to save the contact
This is also normal: some phones offer to save the contact:
- on the phone
- in a Google account
- in iCloud (iPhone)
In a nutshell
To save a digital business card :
- open the .VCF file
- check the contact details
- confirm registration.
Once these steps have been completed, the contact is added to the phone's address book.
