diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 15f0f766385369696f8c5c325263ee1862208468..058f716814944ed463a9f24963c9870a497a2350 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ Bugs fixed:
 • Bug 689146 — disabling EDS address books does not remove personas
 • Bug 689859 — core folks does not depend on telepathy
 • Bug 677633 — Cannot delete favourite
+• Bug 685992 — empathy strips the "+" (plus) from the numbers from the
+  gnome-contacts
 
 API changes:
 • Add Backend.enable_persona_store and disable_persona_store.
diff --git a/folks/phone-details.vala b/folks/phone-details.vala
index a33cf4a51279e35ce80b81a44ef2e69bee7953db..fcdd0d969d00f8cfb7efa3faa37857aba3575916 100644
--- a/folks/phone-details.vala
+++ b/folks/phone-details.vala
@@ -130,8 +130,8 @@ public class Folks.PhoneFieldDetails : AbstractFieldDetails<string>
    * Typical normalisations:
    *
    *  - ``1-800-123-4567`` → ``18001234567``
-   *  - ``+1-800-123-4567`` → ``18001234567``
-   *  - ``+1-800-123-4567P123`` → ``18001234567P123``
+   *  - ``+1-800-123-4567`` → ``+18001234567``
+   *  - ``+1-800-123-4567P123`` → ``+18001234567P123``
    *
    * @return the normalised form of ``number``
    *
@@ -145,12 +145,7 @@ public class Folks.PhoneFieldDetails : AbstractFieldDetails<string>
         {
           var digit = this.value.slice (i, i + 1);
 
-          if (i == 0 && digit == "+")
-            {
-              /* we drop the initial + */
-              continue;
-            }
-          else if (digit in PhoneFieldDetails._extension_chars ||
+          if (digit in PhoneFieldDetails._extension_chars ||
               digit in PhoneFieldDetails._valid_digits)
             {
               /* lets keep valid digits */