Getting Contact Information with .NET MAUI | Community Feed

Letting an app reuse contact data already on the device is a simple win for user experience. Leomaris Reyes shows how to access contacts in .NET MAUI using the IContacts API, from permissions to retrieval.

What you’ll learn

Per-platform permissions — requesting READ_CONTACTS on Android (three ways) and adding NSContactsUsageDescription on iOS/Mac Catalyst, plus why Windows isn’t supported
Using the IContacts API — accessing the ready-made implementation through Contacts.Default
Avoiding namespace conflicts — fully qualifying or aliasing Microsoft.Maui.ApplicationModel.Communication.Contacts on Apple platforms
Reading contact data — retrieving the full list with GetAllAsync() and letting users choose one with PickContactAsync()
Platform differences — cancellation token support and how DisplayName behaves across platforms

Read the full article for the code samples and the platform-specific details to handle contacts reliably.