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 (first and last name separately), ORG (company), TITLE, TEL (work and mobile numbers, with their types), EMAIL and URL (the address of the card page). Typed fields matter: a number marked as "mobile" appears in the contacts app with the right icon and in the right order. Because the card page address goes into the URL field, the saved contact still reaches current information through at least one link when the card is updated.

A photo can be embedded in a vCard, but it makes the file larger and slows saving on some devices. The practical approach is to keep the photo on the card page and leave the vCard light; the visitor sees the photo on the card page if they want it.

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. The URL field in the saved contact brings the visitor back to the live page later.

In DigiCardSystem the "Save contact" button is available on Starter and above; on the free plan there is the card page and the QR, 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 and the URL in the contact leads there. 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.