Find friends who already use the app
Compare normalized phone numbers with accounts in your backend and show "3 of your contacts are here" instead of an empty friends list.
Guides by tool
Contacts access for Lovable appsLovable turns a chat prompt into a full-stack web app and hosts it for you.Contacts access for Bolt appsBolt.new by StackBlitz builds and deploys full-stack web apps from prompts in the browser.Contacts access for v0 appsv0 by Vercel generates React and Next.js apps from prompts and deploys them to Vercel in one click.Contacts access for Replit appsReplit Agent builds full-stack apps from a prompt and Replit Deployments host them.Contacts access for Base44 appsBase44 (a Wix company) builds complete apps with built-in database, auth and hosting from a chat prompt.Contacts access for Cursor appsCursor is the AI code editor many vibe coders use to build web apps with agents and Composer.Contacts access for Claude Code appsClaude Code and Claude's artifacts let you build complete web apps from the terminal or the chat.Contacts access for ChatGPT & Codex appsChatGPT (Canvas) and OpenAI Codex write and refactor complete web apps that you deploy yourself.
When reading contacts is worth it
Invite one person at a time
The user picks a contact, the app prepares a personal invite and opens the share sheet. No bulk invites, no surprises for the recipient.
Add a client or teammate fast
CRM, booking and team apps can prefill a new record from a picked contact instead of making users retype names and numbers.
Often you do not need it
A plain invite link through the native share sheet (shareapp://) needs no permission at all and is the easier path through review. Ask for contacts only when matching or picking adds real value.
Ask, read and use contacts responsibly
An hour for the code, a little longer for the privacy texts.
Declare the permission
Android: add
android.permission.READ_CONTACTSto AndroidManifest.xml, as the WebViewGold docs require. iOS: the contacts usage description in Info.plist must say why, for example "to show which of your contacts already use the app".Explain first, then ask
Show your own screen that explains the benefit with a Continue button, then navigate to
requestcontactpermission://. Never ask on first launch or before the user reaches the feature.Read the address book
After permission, navigate to
readcontacts://. WebViewGold fills the globalcontactsvariable with an object of names and phone-number arrays; without permission it isnull.Let the user choose
Show a searchable list with nothing preselected and no Select all button, and show the exact invite text before anything is sent.
Send only what the feature needs
For friend matching, normalize the numbers and send them to your backend for a one-time comparison; do not keep unmatched numbers. For invites, send nothing at all: open the share sheet.
Frequently asked questions
What does readcontacts:// return?
A JSON object keyed by contact name, each with an array of phone numbers, stored in the global contacts variable. Without permission the variable is null. Email addresses, postal addresses and photos are not part of the documented format.
Will Apple reject an app that reads contacts?
Not for reading them, but often for how. Ask in context with a clear purpose string, let users pick individual people, never invite everyone at once, and do not keep the address book on your server unless the feature needs it and your privacy policy says so.
Do I need contacts access for an invite feature?
Often not. A share sheet with a personal invite link reaches WhatsApp, Messages and email without any permission and is far easier to explain in review. Use contacts access when you match friends or build groups from existing contacts.
Three ways to get your app into the stores
Same result, different amount of work on your side. All three come with the approval guarantee and 24/7 human support.
Do it yourself
$109 per platform, one-time
The WebViewGold license: a finished Xcode or Android Studio project. Paste your URL, set name and icon, switch on features, build and submit. Free updates forever.
See plans on the main pageCloud Builder
$349 per license, one-time add-on
No Mac, no Xcode, no Android Studio: configure in the browser, we build both apps in the cloud and hand them to App Store Connect and the Play Console.
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$698 per platform $798
Send us your URL and icon. Our team configures, builds and delivers your app within 72 hours, white-label, with source projects. Both platforms for $1,158.
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