Add and edit contacts
You add a contact with the New contact button on the Contacts screen — and Ody also creates contacts automatically whenever a new number texts or calls your business line.
Step-by-step: add a contact
Click Contacts in the left sidebar (on your phone: More → Contacts).
Click the New contact (+) button in the top-right of the contact list.
Fill in the form: first and last name, company, one or more phone numbers and emails (each with an optional label), notes, and tags. Click More details for job title, website, address, LinkedIn and the other card fields.
Click Save. The contact appears in the searchable list, shared with your whole team.
Step-by-step: edit or delete
- Select a contact from the list to open its card.
- Click the pencil (Edit contact) button next to the Message and Call buttons.
- Change any field — the form is the same as for a new contact.
- To remove the contact entirely, use Delete at the bottom of the form and confirm.
Details Ody filled in for you
If AI Contact is on for your workspace, some details may already be filled in when you open a contact, each marked with a small sparkle. They're yours to edit: change one and the sparkle disappears, and Ody won't touch that detail again. See Let Ody fill in your contacts' details.
Add a contact from a call or conversation (iPhone and Android)
Got a call or text from a number you haven't saved? In the iPhone or Android app:
- In the Calls tab, long-press the entry and choose Add to Contacts — the form opens with the number already filled in.
- In a conversation, tap the add-contact button in the top bar.
Save a name and it appears everywhere immediately — the call history, the inbox list, and the conversation title.
Phone numbers are stored in international format
You can type a number however you like — 512-555-0199, (512) 555-0199 or +15125550199 — and Ody saves it in international format (+1 (512) 555-0199). In the apps the form shows Saved as … under the number so you can check it before saving; if it shows a hint instead, the number is incomplete (usually a missing area code). This is what lets a saved contact match the conversations and calls that already exist for that number.
If a save fails, the app tells you why both under the form and in a banner at the top of the screen — for example a missing name or a number that can't be read.
One contact per number
A phone number can only be on one contact in your workspace — that's what lets the inbox, call history and caller ID always show one name for a number. If you save a number that's already on a named contact, you'll see "This number is already saved under Name. Open that contact to edit it instead." Open that contact and add the new details there. Someone with several numbers (mobile, office) is one contact with several numbers, each with its own label. A contact that only Ody named (you never typed a name for it) still counts as unsaved: saving that number yourself updates it with what you typed instead of telling you it already exists.
If you had duplicates from before this rule, they have been merged automatically: the named contact kept all the numbers, emails, notes and tags from its duplicates, and every conversation now points at it.
Automatic contacts
When someone texts or calls your Ody number for the first time, a lightweight contact is created from their phone number automatically and linked to the conversation. Open it anytime to add their name, company, and details — the conversation history is already attached. Saving a contact with that same number (from any screen) fills in this automatic contact rather than creating a duplicate.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I have to add every customer by hand?
No — the first text or call from a new number creates a contact automatically, and with AI Contact on, Ody fills in the name, company and other details it can find. You can open it later and edit anything.
If I save a number that already texted or called us, do I get a duplicate?
No — saving a contact with a number that already reached out updates the automatically created contact instead of creating a second one, so the existing conversation and call history pick up the name.
Can two contacts have the same phone number?
No. Each phone number belongs to one contact in your workspace. If you try to save a number that's already on a named contact, Ody tells you who has it so you can open and edit that contact instead. If one person has several numbers, add them all to the same contact.
I saved a contact but the conversation still shows the number — why?
Make sure the number you typed is complete (with area code). Ody stores every phone in international format, for example +1 (512) 555-0199, and the form shows 'Saved as …' under the number before you save. Once it matches, the existing conversation and call history pick up the name immediately.
Who can see and edit contacts?
Contacts are shared across the workspace — any member can view, create, and edit them.
Can I delete a contact?
Yes — open the contact, click the edit (pencil) button, then Delete with confirmation. Deleting the contact doesn't delete your conversation history.