How to delete contacts on iPhone in bulk?

libimobiledevive is an open-source, cross-platform software library that allows you to communicate with iOS devices without using any proprietary Apple software or iTunes. It's a favorite among developers, security researchers, and Linux users because it works entirely through the command line and does not require jailbreaking your iPhone.

The tool suite includes a command called idevicebackup2, which can create and restore full backups of iOS devices running iOS 4 or later. By leveraging this backup and restore functionality, you can effectively delete all contacts from your iPhone at once.

How to delete contacts on iPhone in bulk using libimobiledevice relies on a simple principle:

1. Create a complete backup of your iPhone to your computer using idevicebackup2 backup

2. Manually delete the contacts database file from that backup on your computer

3. Restore the modified backup back to your iPhone using idevicebackup2 restore

When the restored backup  is loaded onto your iPhone, the device will have zero contacts. Since the backup no longer includes the contacts file, iOS cannot restore any contacts to the phone. This method requires some familiarity with terminal commands and working with device backups or databases, but it can be an effective way to learn how to delete contacts on iPhone in bulk.