Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

8 ways to troubleshoot when your contacts are not showing up on an iPhone

8 ways to troubleshoot when your contacts are not showing up on an iPhone

You can fix iPhone contacts not showing by restarting and updating your phone, toggling iCloud contacts, showing all contacts, and more.

When you add someone to your iPhone's Contacts app, you expect that person to forever be at your fingertips. And usually, that's the case. But sometimes your contacts list doesn't work the way you expect, and some of your contacts don't show up on your iPhone.

While there are many reasons why this might happen, you can fix contacts not showing up on your iPhone in eight ways. Here's how:


Restart your iPhone


If you troubleshoot computer (or smartphone) problems from time to time, you quickly learn that many of the common problems are caused by a temporary software glitch. Usually, you can easily solve the issue by rebooting your phone. 

If you need a reminder, here is how to restart any iPhone. After the phone restarts, check if you can see the contacts you're looking for.


Make sure you're showing all contacts


Sometimes, the reason you can't see all your contacts is that they could have been set to hidden. 

Here's how you can check and fix it: 

1. Open the Contacts or Phone app on your iPhone.

2. Make sure it says Contacts at the top. If it doesn't, tap Lists in the top left corner.

Tap "Lists."


3. Tap All contacts.

Check if you can see all the contacts that were previously missing.

Quick tip: The lists in the Contacts and Phone app are linked, so showing all contacts in one app will reveal them in the other as well.


Make sure Contacts sync is enabled on connected email accounts



If you have multiple email accounts on your iPhone, you should be aware that each account might have its own contacts list, too. It's possible the contacts are disabled for one or more of these accounts, and there's a way you can check this. 

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. 

2. Tap Mail. 

3. On the Mail app's settings page, tap Accounts.

Tap "Accounts."


4. Check each account: Tap an account name and, if it has an entry for Contacts, make sure it's enabled by swiping the button to the right.


Turn on iCloud backup for contacts


You probably already backed up your iPhone to iCloud, and part of that backup includes your contacts. But if you have multiple devices, you should be backing them all up to iCloud. 

If you added a contact on your iPad, for example, unless you're syncing both the iPad and your iPhone to iCloud, the new iPad contact will never make its way to your phone.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Tap your account name at the top of the screen. 

Tap on your name at the top of the Settings app.


3. Tap iCloud.

4. In the Apps Using iCloud section make sure Contacts is enabled by swiping the toggle button to the right. 

Quick tip: If you can't see the Contacts toggle right away in the Apps Using iCloud section, tap Show All.

Tap "Show All."


5. Now repeat that process on your iPad to make sure all contacts end up on both devices.


Re-sync with iCloud


It's possible that some of your contacts are stored in iCloud but, for some reason, aren't making their way to your phone when iCloud regularly syncs with your devices. You can often solve this by toggling iCloud off and on again to trigger a forced sync. 

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. 

2. Tap your account name at the top of the screen. 

3. Tap iCloud.

4. In the Apps Using iCloud section, turn off iCloud sync for Contacts by swiping the toggle button to the left. 

Toggle off "Contacts."


5. In the pop-up, tap Keep on My iPhone. 

6. Wait a moment, and then swipe the Contacts toggle button to the right to turn it back on. 

7. In the pop-up, tap Merge to combine your phone's contacts with the ones on iCloud.

After a few minutes, all your contacts should re-sync and hopefully your missing contacts will appear.


Turn off Short Name


Short Name is a setting for contacts that makes your contacts easier to read, but there may be times when this feature conflicts with third-party apps. Try turning this feature off to see if it fixes the problem. 

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Tap Contacts. 

3. Tap Short Name. 

Tap "Short Name."


4. Turn off Short Name by swiping the toggle button to the left.


Check for iOS updates


Finally, it's always possible — though not very likely — that a bug or software incompatibility on your iPhone has affected the Contacts app's ability to display all your contacts. 

You should check to make sure your iPhone's operating system is fully up to date, and make sure the Phone and Contacts apps are updated as well.


Contact Apple Support


If you've tried all the steps above and nothing has worked, you might want to contact Apple support for assistance. They can help you get to the bottom of the problem. 

You can also check the official Apple support community for iPhone users for solutions, or ask fellow users for help by posting your issue on the forum.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
×