comment: >
  
  Oh yes. Totally. Never occurred to me that could be a thing.
context: I just don't really open the "Contacts" portion of my phone enough to bother. >
  
  Makes sense. >
  
  That's most people. Your opinion only applies to a very small subset of 30 year olds in 2006 >
  
  Pardon? >
  
  People's opinions don't really matter for the other People. >
  
  I like old contacts; they carry warm memories. Even if we just had to work together a bit i hope you're doing fine in the future. It's like a mosaic of the different people and memories in your life. And if i have real, actually important information for you or you have real, actually important information for me (like say we broke up and you moved out but the government still sent me some of your mail) then it's kind of useful. >
  
  Sometimes they can carrry some bad memories too. That's just how it is. >
  
  Many people just use it to screen calls in that case then. >
  
  I don't delete emails what makes you think I'm going to delete contacts lol >
  
  Why would you think I would know that? Lol. 
  Not gonna lie, I’m the same way with emails. That’s just exhausting. >
  
  Ignoring old contacts for people that I never think about requires significantly less effort (zero) than deleting old contacts of people that I never think about. >
  
  If you've truly moved on then seeing their name in your contact list shouldn't bother you. >
  
  Declutters as well. 
  Maybe that is the last step in moving on for me. >
  
  I keep the ex's numbers so I don't accidentally pick up when they inevitably call. >
  
  Block then delete. I’ve done that with a couple of other contacts. >
  
  Oh I didn't know you could do that! >
  
  Neither did I until someone else told me you could do that. I thought you have to leave them in your contacts. Live and learn. >
  
  It still saves their number in your phone doing that, just in a different place on the blocked numbers list >
  
  I get that. But if you feel blocking in necessary, then you don’t care. At least that is how I feel. >
  
  What I would like is the ability to move contacts to a 'only callerID' section. Remove contacts from my normal contact list, but have them available for callerID if the contact ends up calling me..
  If my old boss calls me, I'd like to know it's him before answering. But, I don't want to be able to accidentally call, sms him, or send him money lol. >
  
  That’s actually a really good idea. >
  
  Youre right. But Id rather scroll reddit for hours instead of managing my contacts list >
  
  I’ve lost many an hour to this site. >
  
  Because of one of these ex-friend people calls..... I want to see they are calling so I know not to pick up the call. >
  
  Why not block them, then delete? >
  
  Cause then you dont know they tried to call >
  
  Why would you care if you’re not going to pick up? I’m confused. >
  
  Would be interesting to know who’s thinking of you right? >
  
  I guess. None of this has ever happened to me, so 🤷‍♂️ >
  
  I accidentally deleted 20 years of phone contacts when my phone bricked last year. It was surprisingly liberating. >
  
  I bet that would be. 
  How did you go about recovering the ones you need? >
  
  Thankfully work still provides a master phone contact sheet and my wife had the numbers of most of my friends and family I have needed/wanted to talk to. I still get calls/texts from random numbers and get to say "new phone who dis" but honestly 90% of the numbers I've had weren't people I talk to anyway. So, by accident I agree with your opinion. >
  
  They don't take much space, and you never know >
  
  I’ve never encountered a situation where I was like “crap, I need that number.” So 🤷‍♂️ I mean, I guess it could happen. >
  
  Yeah that's true, even more so today with social media >
  
  This is the only social media I have. I guess the way I look at it is, is we don’t converse for at least a year, are we really high on the call list if something goes down? >
  
  I’m 24 and still have contacts saved in my phone all the way back to middle school. To be totally honest I just don’t care enough to go through and delete them. There’s probably around 10 contacts total that currently serve me and I have a shit ton saved in my phone, isn’t and has never been a priority. I don’t think it’s good or bad or has any deeper meaning though >
  
  Fair enough. >
  
  I regularly purge my contacts. Once in a blue moon all get a text from a random person that was purged but its usually years later. >
  
  Literally never had that happen. If it did, I would explain why I didn’t know who it was. >
  
  I just don’t even save numbers anymore, I have like 8 contacts 😂 >
  
  Old school. >
  
  That's how I'd want more people to be. Just be like that. >
  
  I keep them saved so i know not to answer tbh >
  
  Block them, then delete. I just did that with a couple of contacts. >
  
  I don’t like to block anyone unless they’re annoying me incessantly. >
  
  Well that hasn’t been an issue in a few decades. But I suppose if I was dating now, I might not be so quick to delete. When I was last dating you had to write down numbers or memorize them. Lol. 
  But who says I was blocking everyone? Deleting a contact is not the same as block. >
  
  One block. One. She tried to drag me into her custody battle with her ex. Problem was? I was a witness she shouldn’t have tried to use or drag me into this. I knew things that once I knew the score, I felt a moral obligation to help him out. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a clue about how the divorce was. This came at the advice of a lawyer friend. 
  Two Block. Two. Someone who is no longer allowed to be in my life. This was after years of trying to work with them. 
  Not a lot of people. >
  
  I am keeping contacts of my passed away family members. I need them with me, cannot say why but it is comfortable. >
  
  I have several from friends that passed away, texts too, I can’t delete them, it doesn’t feel right. >
  
  I keep numbers just incase I ever need to get ahold of the person for some reason. Not because of some fantasy my ex is gonna come back to me lol. This has proven helpful >
  
  I’ve never been in that situation so it never occurred to me. Not claiming to have covered every scenario. Just the common reasons I have found. >
  
  Lol bro why do you feel so strongly about this you post it in two groups >
  
  I posted the first one, which made me wonder if this was an unpopular opinion or not. People often post the same thing in multiple subs here. >
  
  I just thought it was funny lol >
  
  Fair enough. >
  
  I just keep my phone contacts cuz I’m too lazy to delete them. They never contact me except the occasional text for a hookup but I’ve been taken for a while now just ignore them. I also don’t wanna be that person who answers with “who is this” >
  
  See I have zero issues with being “who is this?” if we have had no contact for years. >
  
  "I have emotional problems triggered by digital clutter" =/= "everyone else should clear out their old contacts" >
  
  Exactly.  The author of this post seems like a frustrated person who wants to use his own sadness to screw up the rule. >
  
  
  to screw up the rule.
  
  Which rule exactly? >
  
  I would like to know this as well. Interesting assumptions made about me. >
  
  Whenever Facebook tells me it's someone's birthday and I don't remember the person, I unfriend them immediately. >
  
  I purged my friends list more than a few times. People change, or get into MLMs and I’m not into that. >
  
  I legit forget about contacts I've labeled beyond the people I talk to regularly. I recently found someone named "Nick OKC" (as in Okcupid) in my contacts. I don't even remember a Nick. We certainly never had a date. But here he is, in my contacts. I've been in a committed relationship for six years and just got married. It really reminded me that I should be cleaning out my contacts. >
  
  Phhttt... I've literally had my phone list as a continued digital file of some sort since 1981, and my vic20. I imported the text file into my first cell in 2004. I still have some of the numbers from 1981, tho I think only 1 of them is valid.  
  I'm also friends with a lot of my ex's. As in I see them several times a year, go camping with them, have changed the diapers for their now adult kids...   
  I'm also with a woman who I dated in 1989, who I considered "the girl I'd dump everyone else for". We've been together since 2013. Her old number, which she still has as a house phone, remained in my contacts...  
  I deleted one person from my contacts in 2010. We broke up. She told me not to contact her. So I didn't. She calls me for help with her internet. Then calls me to ask why I didn't wish her a happy thanksgiving... She said not to call her... she bitches at me on xmas that I didnt call her... then new years... "Look, we're not dating. I dont have to put up with your shit." She was already seeing someone new... couldn't she have allowed me to be happy for the two of them? Newp. I said some hurtful things to make her go the fuck away, and deleted her from my contacts.   
  Keeping those numbers tho? They did result in a lot of recycling of relationships, and it was fun. >
  
  That's a whole ass movie you're living in >
  
  The only number I hang onto that I don’t use is my buddy Drew’s. He helped me get sober a few years ago and last spring he passed away due to suicide. Sometimes I still look through our texts. >
  
  Sorry for your loss. It makes sense for you to keep that. >
  
  Thank you. I empathize with his choice and I have a great gratitude for the time I had with him. >
  
  i just went through my contacts and dwindled my 300+ contacts down to 70 something. most of the people in my phone i haven’t talked to since high school, some even middle school. i had phone numbers from members of group projects from college, i’ll never talk to them again. i just have family, friends, and work contacts in my phone now. i don’t really need anything else. it felt freeing, and good honestly. makes me wonder why i didn’t do it before
  just do it y’all! there is literally no point in holding onto phone numbers of people you don’t or won’t talk to again. just get rid of em >
  
  That's a thing? I do a spring cleaning of my social media and contacts frequently >
  
  I have several contacts that are dead.  I will not delete them or their texts.  My phone has plenty of memory.  They will die when I die. >
  
  That would be the valuable contacts I mentioned. Sorry for your loss. >
  
  I am WAY too lazy to do this. I’m too lazy to even check my voicemail! 😂 But I agree, it’s a good idea. At the same time, though, if it’s someone I’d prefer not to talk to, it would be nice to know it’s them if they were to call me. >
  
  Only one time in the past...10 years? More?.. Have to think harder about that... have I dialed the wrong person because of an old contact. It was a few months ago when I was in the middle of handling my father's arrangements. I was trying to call my coworker back and I accidentally dialed a forgotten friend. I tried to hang up instantly but it rang probably three times. The guy texted and said he'd call me back.
  I hadn't seen the guy in years; used to be someone I hung out with...well, 15 years ago and have seen a few times since. Tried to keep in touch, invited him to a geekfest (DragonCon) or two but after the first he never showed again. A mutual friend told me was full of shit about not having time because he was out and about elsewhere in the country with other friends. I thought for a bit and realized it was a very one-sided friendship and stopped trying and literally didn't hear from him for five years.
  When he texted back I told him not to bother and that I was actively dealing with my father's death and to just delete me out. I was probably harsher than I needed to be but in the same way I didn't call him in that amount of time, he hadn't texted or called me either. >
  
  Sorry for your loss. My voice system in my car is constantly trying to call the wrong person. Another reason I delete unneeded ones. >
  
  Thank you. It was a few months ago and it was his time; he'd been in pain for a long time and finally received his release. >
  
  I never save anyone's number to start with. But I actually do only keep contacts I use in my phone. Everyone else is gone >
  
  You guys even look at old contacts ? I don't delete because I don't care, don't ever sift through my contact list and will probably never delete because who has time for that ? >
  
  Doesn’t take me long as I do it once a year and I don’t add many contacts in the first place. I have my phone set to autodelete texts after a year. If we haven’t spoke in a year, I delete the contact. But that’s me. >
  
  Some people just don't care like at all though. >
  
  Fair enough. Seeing if this is an unpopular opinion or not. >
  
  It’s just easier to let things accumulate. >
  
  Fair. Except it takes me less than a minute because I do it yearly. >
  
  I block tons of numbers then delete them. >
  
  That’s what I have done when needed. >
  
  I'm with you but 1 time my coworker being months after we both quit and went our own ways. Invited me to go bowling with her and a bunch of other old work buddies. I sadly had covid then and was in the gutter... >
  
  That does suck. >
  
  I do this once in a while. It's like freeing up clutter. People who are not welcome get blocked, but that's really rare >
  
  I sat here and deleted like 20 on my shift. Thanks >
  
  Because of this? >
  
  I don't even think I have anyone but my parents in my contacts lol >
  
  Do people even keep they own number that long? I change my number when i change my phone. I got the contacts i stay in touch with and work related. I dont have no numbers from way back, i dont even take peoples numbers. >
  
  Most people keep their number in my experience. >
  
  Might be true, just feels like half the phonebook would lead to dead numbers if they were some years old. >
  
  I use WhatsApp for the people I actually want to talk to regularly which consists of maybe ten people. I never see my contacts really. That's where my landlord lives and I really only talk to him when something breaks or a cheque bounces. >
  
  Ohhh I love getting a new phone for this exact reason! And a purge really does do you good. >
  
  I’m a hoarder and I need to keep them all. >
  
  I just purged a ton of contacts out. I think I've only ever done it two or three times but sometimes it's needed. Didn't even realize this was considered unpopular... >
  
  Given how many people are trying to make this or take this personally, apparently it is. >
  
  Dude. I moved from California to Texas or away from kind of an abusive situation and I deleted so much shit off of my iPhone. It wasn’t even funny. I miss California but I don’t miss the situation. >
  
  Glad you are in a safer place. Hopefully you are doing well. >
  
  It was so hard but so worth it. >
  
  Good to hear. >
  
  But what if the manager that ghosted me in 2019 suddenly decides to get back to me regarding that shift I needed?!?? >
  
  Went through and deleted old contacts recently !! Lots of relatives that passed on… it was an odd experience but, in an odd way, helped me do some collective grieving. >
  
  I will go a step further. I delete all Facebook friends I don't really speak to. Old coworkers, old acquaintances, etc. Only connections are family or real life friends I would speak to in person. >
  
  I did that as well. It’s easier to do on that platform as people are in your face there, so to speak. >
  
  Yea no. Deleted ton of numbers like 5 years ago, had to down a Swedish app called true caller to retrieve the numbers. Had to type in names, pay for the premium services and had to call all the names that would show to see if that's the person I'm looking for. 
  You my friend are way off >
  
  But why would you delete ones you need or still keep in contact with?
  I’m talking about ones you don’t. >
  
  You feel that you "don't need to stay in touch"
  But then something comes up and you're like fuck >
  
  I’ve never had that happen though. So for me it’s 🤷‍♂️ >
  
  Ok so this one time, I had to get a Intermediate Certificate Copy. For that I was required to fill a form, which called for an ID number. At this point I've lost the track of it and  I wanted to call a classmate, to see if had the ID or the list of ID's. 
  Guess wot. 
  I had deleted my contact numbers because I hated school and I was absolutely thrilled to leave the school. 
  See? 
  I fucked up 
  My classmates and teachers were in my contacts. Boom gone. 
  Called 15 Joshua's and 20 Kelly's 
  So yea.... 
  Contact list hurt nobody lmao >
  
  Again, never been in that situation, but I’m glad it worked out for you. Take care. >
  
  Yea. You too. Have a wonderful day >
  
  You have a point here as I deleted the numbers of people from middle in high school whom I no longer talk to. However this made me realize there’s a lot more contacts I should remove which is mostly people I did a group project with plus a guy who’s currently in jail and won’t be getting out for a very long time if ever. Although I kinda wanna keep the number of my late dad and coworker because I miss them. >
  
  Those last two would be valuable contacts >
  
  Yeah I’m keeping them for the memories even though I unfortunately can’t call/text them again. >
  
  I just can't be bothered to lol >
  
  Sometimes I forget to delete old contacts. Another time, I bought a new phone/use new number and didn't do any backup and all the contacts are vanished.
  So I have no worry on that. >
  
  I never delete anything, i have every SMS from the last 20 years and even some from before.
  Why? Just because my brain is not capable to save all this informations alone and needs trigger to remember.
  Why should I remember? Well, if you dont learn from the past, you are damned to repeat old failures. If you dont remember the past (in a correct way) you will lose your future.
  Why keep old numbers? Well, there ae many reasons... for example someone calls you, if you have the number you know who it is, if you don't have, you have no clue.
  Space for data is not an argument, we have TeraBytes of data and contacts are so damn tiny you could store the number of all persons on earth in it.
  But ofc you dont want to see this data all the time. I have a filter for my contacts, that only shows "important" persons, well, like 30%. Just create a group and only show this group, problem solved. >
  
  There are some practical solutions there I didn’t know about. >
  
  people don't remove/delete unnecessary old things that reminds them of past? i do it immediately because i can't stand seeing things form the past. >
  
  This seems to be the unpopular opinion. >
  
  my point with my comment is to agree with you >
  
  I know. I was pointing out that our opinion is unpopular >
  
  This made me take the time to sit down and delete old contacts. Just deleted 200+ 
  Honestly it's because I'm sick of seeing the contact list suggestions to add these people when you're on social media. They don't need that connection to me any more than I want it to them. >
  
  I feel the same way. If we aren’t talking to each other outside of social media (I don’t consider FB Messenger anything more than a message app), then why the heck do I care about what you had for breakfast or your trips? >
  
  I really can't be bothered, but if that makes you happy then go for it >
  
  One of the best things about retirement was cleaning out all the work related contacts. >
  
  I bet. >
  
  I still have the contacts of quite a few dead friends on my phone. I know we will never speak again but I still wont delete them. >
  
  Are... they getting in the way somehow? I've literally never thought about an old contact, and they don't usually come up when looking for someone I actually want to call so I'm curious what happens if you just leave them? >
  
  Yes. When I go to make a voice call in my car, they are just one more contact for the system to screw up with. When I go to start a new text conversation with a Jeff (for example) I had many Jeffs in my contacts, then you’d hit the wrong one and have to start again. Two common examples for me. Thanks for asking (honestly). >
  
  Ah ok this is very fair. Now I'm worried about this happening lol >
  
  Haven't heard from my ex since the divorce and never want to.
  But he's in my phone because we have a daughter together. 
  For all I know, he's changed his number in the intervening years. 
  But if there's any kind of emergency with our daughter,  I keep it. >
  
  Completely understandable in that case. Obviously I didn’t expect to cover every scenario. I was just using the 3 common reasons I have heard. People you are permanently connected to for a variety of reasons, aren’t purged. >
  
  Same goes for old texts. Don't get why people keep un-important texts from 5 years ago. >
  
  Same. >
  
  Because actually deleting them is effort I can’t be bothered to put in. >
  
  Contact software needs a feature to auto delete contacts if not contacted in x number of days or years. >
  
  I'm sure that wouldn't cause any problems >
  
  ... This is an unpopular opinion?
  How? >
  
  I’m getting push back, so to some it is. I’m seeing how unpopular it is. >
  
  My husband of 25 yrs, died 2 yrs ago. I won’t delete his contact. >
  
  Ok. That is understandable. Sorry for your loss. 
  I was picking up common reasons I have heard. This was not meant to be exhaustive. >
  
  I have a dear friend who died 5 years ago. His number is still in my phone and in my favorites list, and it always will be. >
  
  Me too.  And I can’t bring myself to delete our texts. >
  
  Completely valid and completely fair. >
  
  Such work! I have no idea how many names are in my contact list because I never ever go in there. Just sounds like extra work for absolutely zero reason. Who cares? >
  
  Well obviously you do, if you replied. >
  
  Why does it bother you that people might have numbers saved of their old coworkers, contacts, or exes? >
  
  Does it? Or did I want to see if this was an unpopular opinion? >
  
  Your post is about promoting people deleting old contacts >
  
  That is my opinion in this post. I don’t care what anyone does with their contacts. >
  
  I asked you why it bothers you, and you just keep downvoting my comments? Maybe don’t post on Reddit if you don’t want people asking questions. >
  
  Stop downvoting you? I haven’t. If you’ve downvoted me, don’t complain. 
  You asked one question, then made a lot of assumptions.
  I told you that it doesn’t. This is just my opinion. Do what you will with your phone. I don’t care. >
  
  I didn’t tell you to stop, I just called you out for downvoting me for asking a very reasonable question >
  
  I didn’t downvote you. I said this. 
  And I’ve answered your question twice now. >
  
  I guess you are new to Reddit.
  Edit: Imagine downvoting someone then whining about them doing it. Wow. >
  
  Do you lack that few bytes memory on your Nokia? And you are willing to spend some time every few months to scanning your contact list? >
  
  Takes me a minute or so. If I haven’t contacted you in a year, and you haven’t contacted me, I delete. I don’t make many contacts in a year so it’s only like 1 or 2 people. >
  
  If we had the yellow pages still I'd do it. >
  
  Can’t Google business numbers? >
  
  Ok sorry the white pages. >
  
  Ah. >
  
  I feel like it's the same kind of mentality as say George Costanzaz wallet on Seinfeld, you have all these cards and receipts just incase you need them even though probably 90%of them are useless. It's the feeling of just incase that keeps people from deleting the numbers. >
  
  Fair enough. >
  
  I do embrace it, but just like facebook, you need a goddam afternoon to do that and to be honest, that’s a shitty activity 😂 >
  
  I don’t have FB, so 🤷‍♂️
  But I did purge my list when I did. >
  
  As soon as I finish studies and project groups, I say bye to that thing, you are blessed to not be on this anymore haha >
  
  Just an FYI, I kept deactivating like they suggested. That just prolonged the process. >
  
  I've had a couple friends who I realized I hadn't talked to in a few years (sometimes it's hard to keep track of time), and then I'll message them and they reply and we'll meet up and hang out for a bit.  Sometimes old friendships are not actually dead. >
  
  Ah. I’ve had that, only to be cancelled on last minute. So for me, it’s pointless. >
  
  My phone has twenty-year-old Outlook contacts synced to it. The other day, my wife and I were talking about old contacts, and I took a look. It turns out I have a contact just called "Bear". No phone number. No email address. Just "Bear". We had a laugh about that. >
  
  That is funny. >
  
  Why tf would I spend a single minute of my life deleting numbers for people I don't think about. >
  
  Obviously you wouldn’t. So you don’t agree with my opinion. >
  
  Holy cow! A thousand! Someone said 300 before. Wow. No judgement. Just 🤯 >
  
  Gotcha. 
  Yeah. Losing contacts is probably a choice at this point. >
  
  I've still got the numbers of people I worked with when I was 20 (ten years ago)
  I just don't notice until I'm looking for a certain person, then I ring that person and forget about the long gone names 
  But a lot of people would squeal at my unread email count so I'm a bad scale for this >
  
  Nope. 
  I want to know whose call I’m not picking up. >
  
  There's something in me that can't let go. It feels like I'm erasing a part of my personal history if I do that. I can't do it. >
  
  A point I didn’t consider. That is a valid reason. >
  
  I wish Apple would make it easier to delete numbers. I hate having to delete them 1 by 1. And it takes like 3 or 4 clicks to delete each contact. >
  
  That I cannot argue with. I suppose it could be an unintentional (intentional?) do you really want to do this? >
  
  Popularity contest? >
  
  Huh? >
  
  Because maybe the reason some don’t delete contacts is to probably have a lot of contacts, hence my comment, if that makes sense…