Change Spotlight Search Priority in iOS

Spotlight defaults to showing Contacts from a devices address book as the top search results, which may be helpful but that same feature already exists when searching through Contacts anyway. To get the most out of Spotlight, take the time to change the search priority of results so that what you are most likely to look for appears on top.

• Open Settings then tap “General”
• Tap on “Spotlight Search” and then drag the categories to their desired search position

For the example shown in the screen shot, Applications were moved on top, leaving Spotlight to first show any matching apps above anything else. Arrange the categories according to your preference, and if you don’t want anything from a particular category showing up in the results tap on the checkmark to exclude it.

The same procedure can be done in OS X, which is arguably even more useful since Spotlight on the Mac is accessible from anywhere with a keyboard shortcut.