I tried the aforementioned overnight iCloud fix but after 24 hours my contact issue was back—here is how I fixed it:
Turned off iCloud sync for Contacts under iCloud settings
iPhone: Contacts>Accounts>Gmail>Toggled Contacts Off
Mac: Contacts>Settings>Accounts>Unchecked Enable this account for Exchange (Outlook) & Gmail
Deleted all Contacts on my iPhone by USB connect to my Mac and checking sync contacts to iPhone:
You can also delete multiple contacts at once on your iPhone doing the following:
- Launch the Contacts app on your iPhone, or open the Phone app and tap Contacts.
- Using two fingers, press and hold a contact in the list, then drag your fingers up or down to highlight adjacent contacts as a selection.
- Release your fingers to finish your selection and then long (hard) press with one finger on any highlighted contacts, then tap Delete [X] Contacts in the dropdown menu.
- Tap Delete Contacts in the confirmation prompt.
Went to https://www.icloud.com/contacts/ and scrubbed all my Contacts, deleted duplicates (cog wheel bottom left), added correct photos and labels to all, including custom labels (this was tedious but I have been trying to fix this issue for months) I turned off ‘Automatically format phone numbers’:
Simultaneously had https://contacts.google.com open and added any missing Gmail contacts not in my iCloud Contacts by Exporting as vCard in export prompt on left-side menu:
Exported all iCloud Contacts vCards and iMessaged them all to my iPhone from my Mac:
Saved all Contacts to my iPhone and waited for them to re-populate completely; that was Saturday afternoon April 1 and it is now April 15. All custom labels and photos are intact for contacts.
There were still a few Contacts whose photos did not transfer; I AirDropped any Contacts that had remaining issues from my Mac to my iPhone until they were all correct:
Have not turned iCloud sync back on for Contacts under iCloud settings on iPhone (or iMac or Macbook) and have also unchecked Microsoft Outlook under iCloud Drive on (all) Mac as I cannot function properly at work without knowing what numbers are what in my contacts (iPhone, fax, email, mobile, office, work, personal, etc.)
Worth noting that after doing this there is now no ‘Default’ account under Contacts in settings on my iPhone whereas before there was a choice of iCloud, Gmail, or My iPhone
Personally, I think this contact reversion issue is caused by Outlook, Gmail, or both and is ultimately an Apple (iCloud) problem that they do not know how to fix or do not know exists.
