Contact Addresses: Country does not exist

I have friends in Guernsey and Jersey which are in the Channel Islands. Although these are British crown dependencies they are not legally part of the UK.


In the list of countries and regions there is no option to add Guernsey, Jersey or Channel Islands. Not even British Isles which would not be incorrect. The closest you can choose is United Kingdom, which is incorrect and should not appear on the postal address.


It’s not a big deal as I only use the information as a manual “address book” for sending Christmas cards etc, but if I was to download the information to print labels, for example, then this would download the incorrect information.


Legally, Apple class the Channel Islands as separate from the UK and I’m told those who use Apple products on the islands can’t access services like UK Apple Store. So why don’t they acknowledge these places exist in their address book technology?!

iPhone SE, iOS 17

Posted on Dec 21, 2023 12:45 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 22, 2023 2:23 AM

If the issue concerns you enough I would reach out to Apple directly and provide your feedback. It's likely an oversight in the development. In the meantime you can just manually enter the Country name in the field.


Apple typically uses the ISO 3166 standard for country and region codes in its software and services. And ISO 3166 does include specific codes for Guernsey and Jersey:


  • Guernsey: The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code is GG.
  • Jersey: The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code is JE.


However, the implementation and presentation of these codes in user interfaces, like address books or contact lists, may vary. Apple might choose to display a subset of these codes based on several reasons:


Guernsey and Jersey, as part of the Channel Islands, have a unique political status. They are British Crown Dependencies but not part of the United Kingdom or the European Union. This unique status can lead to confusion or oversimplification in categorization.


Developers often prioritize countries and regions based on market size and user base. Smaller regions, especially those with unique statuses, might be overlooked.


Including every territory and region in the world can make user interfaces cumbersome. Developers might opt to simplify lists for usability, inadvertently omitting some regions.


Country and region lists in software applications may not be updated frequently, leading to outdated information that doesn't reflect recent geopolitical changes.



1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 22, 2023 2:23 AM in response to CaptainSiCo

If the issue concerns you enough I would reach out to Apple directly and provide your feedback. It's likely an oversight in the development. In the meantime you can just manually enter the Country name in the field.


Apple typically uses the ISO 3166 standard for country and region codes in its software and services. And ISO 3166 does include specific codes for Guernsey and Jersey:


  • Guernsey: The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code is GG.
  • Jersey: The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code is JE.


However, the implementation and presentation of these codes in user interfaces, like address books or contact lists, may vary. Apple might choose to display a subset of these codes based on several reasons:


Guernsey and Jersey, as part of the Channel Islands, have a unique political status. They are British Crown Dependencies but not part of the United Kingdom or the European Union. This unique status can lead to confusion or oversimplification in categorization.


Developers often prioritize countries and regions based on market size and user base. Smaller regions, especially those with unique statuses, might be overlooked.


Including every territory and region in the world can make user interfaces cumbersome. Developers might opt to simplify lists for usability, inadvertently omitting some regions.


Country and region lists in software applications may not be updated frequently, leading to outdated information that doesn't reflect recent geopolitical changes.



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Contact Addresses: Country does not exist

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