iPhone not showing Contact names on iOS 14

Struggled with iCloud for a few hours then......This absolutely fixes the problem! Just purchased a New iphone 12 mini and updated to iOS 14 and within 24 hours I had lost my contacts in both phone and message apps (showing number only and no name). Its a tedious process of restoring your information to each name not showing in each application, however once you have successfully updated each contact you should have free reign to recongnize your contacts other than their number. Continue to update as needed but hopefully this doesn't reoccur. Well until iOS changes again LOL.

I have the latest software and am having the same issues still. It didn’t start until I purchased the 12 pro. I’m also receiving text messages in the form of a group chat where is sends my message twice. It’s incredibly frustrating and I’m tempted to return the phone and switch to Samsung.

Hi JClary07.

We’re glad to hear that you can see the contact name in the notification. You have mentioned importing your Google Contacts to iCloud. You can do this by following the steps in the section titled “Add Contacts from third-party accounts” here: Set up and use iCloud Contacts - Apple Support You can also export your Goggle Contacts as a vCard and import them to iCloud using the steps here: Import a contact on iCloud.com - Apple Support

Let us know if you have further questions.

Take care.

I am having similar issues. When I type a message, either to a single person or a group message, I see a circle with the initials of my contact, but a phone number shows up where it didn't before. Ans when I scroll through past messages, a phone number shows up instead of the contacts name, so it's a little hard to know who the message is from unless I click on it. To remove the phone number, I have to add that "new number" to my contacts, and I end up getting duplicates of the same number in my contact. The first number under mobile is (XXX)-XXX-XXXX and the duplicate new number I have to add is in this format +1(XXX)XXX-XXX.

Those working with Apple support, can you pass this on as I think this is another bug. I am using IOS 14.3.

Thanks.

I have had this happen twice now since I upgraded to iPhone 12 in early November. I called Apple support and they couldn't help me at all. It happened the second time just yesterday and both times I have had to reset my phone because none of the other suggestions I have found helped. All of my contacts are there and are in iCloud they just aren't showing up when I get calls or texts. Super frustrating!!!

I have the same problem, on my iPhone 12 pro, on latest software. I get unknown for messages from my daughter. It is often from her to my wife and I. The only way I can clear is to power phone off and on.

This happens about once a week. I don’t use any contacts other than iPhone contacts.

Same issue since upgrading to iPhone 12 Pro Max ... very frustrating! Already on 14.4 and my contacts disappear at 5:59 pm every day and I am forced to restore them from the previous day on icloud.com. Unbelievable that Apple cannot figure this out!

Same issue, new with the iPhone 12 Pro. I was using an 8 before, no issues. (Which is obnoxious... you'd think paying $1000 to upgrade from an 8 to a 12 would be nothing but benefits... but it's wrecked both my contacts / texts / call ID AND my Podcasts format--the two things I use most on my phone--so I'm kind of furious. I already traded in my 8 too and had it wiped clean (for a whole $80 off my new iPhone, so no reverting back. Also no one notified me that two-factor authentication required manually switching it WITH my old phone, so every single thing I use that requires 2-factor demanded that I disable it for 5 days and then reset to my new phone, including the ability to do ANY banking or send money... also infuriating.)

Anyway, as to this problem I feel like I've tried literally everything I can plausibly think of. I'm updated to the latest software (14.5.1).

Take 1) First I thought it was my fault, so I want to iCloud contacts and updated every contact to include a "1" before the number... didn't work.

Take 2) Then I tried the first "obvious" solution... went to iCloud on my phone, toggled contacts off from sharing, restarted the phone, turned them back on... no dice. The contacts came back, still no names.

Take 3) I tried turning iCloud off entirely, restarting phone, turning it back on. Also didn't work.

Take 4) I deleted my entire contact list from my phone, then went to my MacBook and restored them to mobile... nothing.

Take 5) I tried deleting individual text threads and then asking my friends to text me back to start fresh, was SURE that would work... nope!

Take 6) Figured I was on the very last option I could think off... I went into settings in iCloud, toggled off sharing all Messages, restarted the phone, and toggled it back on. In messages it said "syncing your messages" on the bottom for 15 minutes, so I was certain I'd found the solution... but still no.

Take 7) Checked this message board and tried switching the switching to multiple languages trick, multiple regions, starting/restarting. Nothing.

I've been at this for at least 4 hours (with the problem now going on for weeks), searching for answers and I can't think of (nor find) anything else. I paid a ******* $1000 for a new phone Apple! Am I supposed to guess when to pick up the phone? Memorize the number of every contact in my phone so I know who's texting or calling me? Just hope the numbers contacts randomly restore one magical day??

Seriously Apple, get this fixed!! I'm not even going to call support because I see that everyone here has tried it and they're going to tell me to do a full restart and re-download every last thing to my phone... not happening. (Also, your new Podcasts App format is abominable. I have no idea what's new, how many unplayed I have from any given one of the 55 pods I subscribe to, and there is clearly no way of fixing that either, because it's the phone default, not a user option.)

I have been an Apple enthusiast for over a dozen years and things just get worse with the increased amount of stream-lining every year. The MacBook Pro I bought in 2007 was the best one I owned (and still works!). I've upgraded two MacBook Pros since then, as well as two iPhones, an Apple Watch, and an iPad. Ever since the format of iTunes got wrecked to make Apple Music more seamless, things have been straight downhill.

Seriously Apple staff, figure this out. I'm tired of paying obscene amounts of money to have the "newest, best" version of an Apple product only to discover that the camera is 20x better and every other aspect (except memory I suppose) is worse than my previous iteration. I can't speak to everyone else agreeing with all of my anger about these various things, but at least fix the contacts issue! I don't answer calls from numbers I don't know... which is currently everyone. So essentially, I'm paying for the latest phone and a cellular plan so I can make calls and guess when it's worth receiving them. Ridiculous.

these started with 14.3 and continued with 14.4. Hasn’t happened now for about two weeks or more. Both now on. 14.4.1

This problem has happened several times for me. Seems like it happens once or twice a year. I fixed it by turning on and off some thing but I don’t remember… Contacts, messages? Each time I have to re-google the solution. I’m surprised that some of the Apple people are making such far off recommendations. Seems like the Apple staff support should truly provide an official response to fix this once and for all.

I starting having the same issue a couple weeks after upgrading to my iPhone 12 Pro. I only seem to be having issues with group chats that include both iPhone and android users. Old text threads are now split into two, but only on my iPhone. On my iPad there is still a single thread. Also my iCloud contacts continually have to be reset otherwise 1/3rd of my texts display only a phone number. Even after relinking my contacts incoming calls still display with a number only.

I am having the exact same issues as everyone else and there is nothing that will solve the issue. If it does, it is only momentarily. I have the latest update as well. Never had this issue until I switched to the 12 Pro. This is incredibly frustrating!!!