Show your Tether contacts in the iPhone Contacts appTether+
Set up contact sync so your Tether contacts appear everywhere iOS uses contacts — including on incoming calls.
What this is
Tether keeps your contacts current inside Tether. This makes them show up in iOS itself — the Contacts app, the share sheet, Mail’s autocomplete, and the name that appears when the phone rings.
It works over CardDAV, which is the standard iOS already speaks. That is why setup involves a configuration profile rather than a switch.
Before you start
Four things to know up front, because all four surprise people:
- This is a Tether+ feature.
- iPhone, iPad, and Mac only. It is an Apple protocol; there is no Android equivalent here.
- It is read-only. Contacts flow from Tether into iOS. Edits you make in the iOS Contacts app do not flow back to Tether, and Tether never edits or deletes the contacts already on your device.
- You install a configuration profile. iOS requires it for this kind of account, and it takes a trip through Settings.
Steps
- In Tether, open Settings and find contact sync.
- Tap to download the configuration profile. Safari will hand it to iOS.
- Open the Settings app. A Profile Downloaded banner appears near the top — tap it.
- Tap Install, enter your passcode, and confirm.
- Go back to the Contacts app.
What to expect afterward
The first sync can take up to fifteen minutes. iOS decides when CardDAV accounts refresh, not Tether, so there is nothing to speed it up from our side — this is normal and it is not stuck.
After that, your Tether contacts appear as their own account in Contacts, alongside iCloud or anything else you have. When a connection changes their number, iOS picks it up on its next refresh, and the right name shows up when they call.
Troubleshooting
No Profile Downloaded banner. Look under Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. The banner expires after a few minutes; the profile is still there.
Nothing has appeared after fifteen minutes. Open Contacts, pull down to refresh, then check that the Tether account is enabled in Settings → Apps → Contacts → Accounts.
I edited a contact in the Contacts app and Tether did not change. Expected — the sync is one-way by design. Make the edit in Tether.
I want to remove it. Delete the profile under VPN & Device Management. Your Tether data is untouched; only the iOS copy goes away.