---
title: "requestAccess(for:completionHandler:)"
framework: contacts
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "contacts/cncontactstore/requestaccess(for:completionhandler:)"
---

# requestAccess(for:completionHandler:)

Requests access to the user’s contacts.

## Declaration

```swift
func requestAccess(for entityType: CNEntityType, completionHandler: @escaping @Sendable (Bool, (any Error)?) -> Void)
```

```swift
func requestAccess(for entityType: CNEntityType) async throws -> Bool
```

## Parameters

- `entityType`: Set to CNEntityTypeContacts.
- `completionHandler`: Set granted to doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Swift/true if the user allows access and error is nil.

## Mentioned in

Accessing the contact store

## Discussion

Discussion important: You can call this method from synchronous code using a completion handler, as shown on this page, or you can call it as an asynchronous method that has the following declaration: func requestAccess(for entityType: CNEntityType) async throws -> Bool For information about concurrency and asynchronous code in Swift, see Calling Objective-C APIs Asynchronously. Users grant or deny access to contact data on a per-app basis. Request access to contact data by calling the requestAccess(for:completionHandler:) method, which returns right away. The first time your app calls this method, the system prompts the user to grant or deny access to your app. The system then saves the user’s response and does not prompt them again. The system executes completionHandler on an arbitrary queue. It is recommended that you use CNContactStore instance methods in this completion handler instead of the UI main thread. This method is optional when CNContactStore is used in the background thread. If you don’t request access, CNContactStore may block your app while asking the user for access.

## See Also

### Requesting access to the user’s contacts

- [authorizationStatus(for:)](contacts/cncontactstore/authorizationstatus(for:).md)
- [CNAuthorizationStatus](contacts/cnauthorizationstatus.md)
- [CNEntityType](contacts/cnentitytype.md)