What is a vCard? Saving contacts on iOS, Android and desktop

When you tap "Save contact" on a digital business card page, your phone opens an "add to contacts" screen. The bridge in between is the vCard: a small text file, thirty years old, that every phone and every email program understands. This article explains what a vCard is, what it carries, how it behaves on iOS and Android and how it relates to a digital business card.

What is a vCard?

A vCard is a file format defined for carrying contact details; its extension is .vcf. Inside are fields line by line: name, title, company, phone numbers, email, web address. The file is plain text; you can open and read it in a text editor. The version in common use today is 3.0; 4.0 is newer, but for compatibility with older devices most producers prefer 3.0. DigiCardSystem generates 3.0 as well.

What is inside

A card's vCard carries these fields: FN (display name), N (name), ORG (company), TITLE, TEL (work and mobile numbers, with their types), EMAIL and URL (your website, social profiles and the links you added to the card). Typed fields matter: a number marked as "mobile" appears in the contacts app with the right icon and in the right order. Website and social profile links go into URL fields; they open from the saved contact with one tap.

A photo can be embedded in a vCard; DigiCardSystem adds the profile photo to the file, so the contact appears with a picture. Because the photo makes the file larger, a reasonably sized card photo keeps saving quick.

The difference on iOS and Android

iPhone: Safari opens a .vcf file directly with the "New Contact" screen; the user saves. A different browser or an in-app browser (for example a page opened from inside a messaging app) may want to download the file instead; in that case it lands in "Files" and is imported to contacts from there. This is why the card page needs phone and email links next to the "Save contact" button: if the file flow stalls, the visitor can still call.

Android: Chrome downloads the file, and tapping it from the notification or from downloads opens the Contacts app; some devices ask which account (Google, phone, SIM) to save to. The contacts apps of makers such as Samsung and Xiaomi recognise .vcf as well. The general rule: once the file is downloaded, one more tap is needed; a small "tap the downloaded file" note on the card page explains that step.

On the desktop

Outlook, Apple Contacts and Google Contacts import .vcf files. Someone opening the card page on a desktop downloads the file with "Save contact", double-clicks it and the contact is created. Because the card link in an email signature is usually opened on a desktop, this path is used more often than you would think; we covered signatures in the signature article.

The relationship with a digital business card

A digital business card and a vCard do not replace each other; they complement each other. The card page is live: photo, social profiles, contact form and current title are there and they change. The vCard is a snapshot: fixed information that enters the visitor's contacts and works offline too. The right flow uses both: the card page opens, the visitor either saves or simply calls. For current details the visitor has to come back to the card page; that is why the QR code and the shared link always lead to the card page.

In DigiCardSystem the "Save contact" button and the QR code are available on Starter and above; during the free trial there is the card page, and the visitor reads the details from the page and saves them by hand. For team use, the title glossary in the team management article helps keep the company name and title carried by the vCard consistent.

Frequently asked

Can a vCard be embedded in a QR code? It can, but it is not advisable: with the details embedded, the code grows, becomes harder to scan and the print becomes invalid when the details change. A QR that points to the card page stays small and updatable; details in the QR article. Does the saved contact update? No, a vCard is a one-time copy; the current details are on the card page. Do Turkish characters break? The file is produced as UTF-8; on modern devices "ş, ğ, ı" display correctly. Several phone numbers? Work and mobile are written with separate types; both appear in the contacts app.

Getting started

Open your card with a free sign-up and try the "Save contact" flow once on your own iPhone and Android. The whole product is described on the digital business card page and the plans on the pricing page.