Apple iPhone supports Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud to import contacts. That means you can have a mix of all different contacts list in the Contacts app on your iPhone. With that, you can merge duplicates and manage the details of people better.
But, many iPhone users complain about contacts disappearing from their iPhones out of nowhere. Contacts not showing up or disappearing on iPhone can break your workflow. Instead of using the call history or apps like WhatsApp to find contacts, use the guide below to fix the issue on your iPhone.
1. Confirm Disappeared Contacts on iPhone
First, we will check the accounts from which your contacts got disappeared on your iPhone.
Step 1: Open the Phone app, and you may see unknown numbers appearing in the call history.
Step 2: Launch the Contacts app on your iPhone.
Step 3: Tap Lists in the top-left corner.
Step 4: Check your Gmail, iCloud, and Outlook contacts from the list.
If your preferred contacts list is down to zero or a small digit, it confirms the disappeared contacts on your iPhone.
2. Enable Gmail or Outlook Contacts on Your iPhone
If you have accidentally disabled Gmail or Outlook contacts on your iPhone, they won’t show up in the Contacts app. You’ll need to check that and enable the permission using the steps below.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Scroll down and tap on Contacts.
Step 3: Select Accounts.
Step 4: Open your preferred account from the following menu.
Step 5: Turn off the toggle next to Contacts. After a minute, turn on the same toggle again.
After a few minutes and open the Contacts app to check if contacts are appearing or not. If not, then move to the next solution.
3. Remove and Add the Account Again
If there is an authentication issue with one of your added email accounts, iOS will stop syncing contacts to your iPhone. Your existing contacts may disappear due to outdated login information. You’ll need to remove your account and add it again. Check out the steps below.
Step 1: Open the Settings app, scroll down and select Contacts. (refer to the steps above).
Step 2: Open Accounts.
Step 3: Select the account that suffers from authentication error.
Step 4: Tap ‘Delete Account’ from the following menu and confirm your decision.
Step 5: Return to the Accounts menu by tapping the blue arrow in the top-left corner.
Step 6: Select ‘Add Account.’
Step 7: Tap one of your preferred accounts and enter login details.
Make sure to enable Contacts permission for the same account.
4. Disable iCloud Contacts and Sync It Again
Most users prefer to save contacts in iCloud for a seamless experience when switching between Apple devices. If there are syncing issues on your iCloud account, your existing contacts may disappear from your iPhone. You can remove iCloud contacts and sync them again to fix the problem.
One of our colleagues faced contacts disappearing issue on iPhone, the trick worked like a charm to recover all lost contacts. Here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Select your account at the top.
Step 3: Tap iCloud.
Step 4: Select ‘Show all.’
Step 5: Disable the Contacts toggle from the following menu. Enable it after a minute.
Open the Contacts app, and iCloud should start syncing your contacts again. You’ll need to wait for a couple of minutes to start seeing your lost contacts in the Lists menu of the Contacts app.
5. Re-Enable Short Name
Short name is a neat iOS feature that changes how your saved contacts appear on your iPhone. You can tweak your iPhone experience to display the First name & last initial, First initial & Last name, and only First name or Last name. For this, you’ll need to disable Short Name function and turn it on again to fix the contacts disappeared issue on iPhone.
Step 1: Open the Settings app and head to Contacts section on your iPhone.
Step 2: Select Short Name.
Step 3: Disable the ‘Short Name’ toggle and enable it again to resync the contacts.
6. Check iCloud Contacts Status
When iCloud servers face downtime, you may not see the latest contacts on your iPhone. Apple lets you check the system status for every service. You can visit the Apple System Status website and look for iCloud Contacts. If it’s showing a yellow or orange indicator, it confirms the issue with iCloud Contacts. You’ll need to wait for Apple to fix the issue.
7. Update iOS Software
An outdated iOS build can lead to contacts disappearing issues on iPhone. The default Contacts app is a part of iOS software that Apple frequently updates to add new features and fix bugs.
Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone.
Step 2: Scroll to General.
Step 3: Select ‘Software Update.’
Step 4: Download and install any pending iOS update on your iPhone.
Get Your Contacts Back
Contacts disappearing on iPhone can leave you in the dark whenever you want to send a message or an urgent email. That means your messaging and email apps will not bring up the contact names whenever you type out a few letters of the intended contact’s name. Before it leads to a major issue, try the tricks above to fix the problem.
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