iPhone contacts stuck in Lists

Contacts are organized into “lists”. You have always had a contact list or lists. The older iOS version hid that information from you. But lists are a fact of life for all systems that support contacts. It was really frustrating, because you could see your contact lists on a Mac or Windows PC, (or even on an Android) but not on your iPhone.

In rare cases you may have only one contact list. If that is the case just tap on the name of the list ONCE, and forevermore those contacts will appear when you open the Contacts app. If you have more than one list just tap on All Contacts.

As you mentioned work, business or live in a town you can create a list for “work”, “business”, “town” or any other subject (“doctors”, “restaurants”, etc). You can then move contacts from one list to another, or even have the same contact on more than one list.

Or tap the Phone icon, then Contacts; that will always show all contacts on all of your lists.

This isn’t dumbing down. The OLD way, where you couldn’t see your lists, even though they existed and were hidden, was dumbed down.

Update: All Contacts is shown as a list—I just needed to click that and problem solved.

I am Dutch. I hope you understand me anyway.

As far as I can see this app has changed so that Lists (translated, I have a Dutch title) is the first thing you see.

Choose Icloud or All contacts (same translation Dutch-English).

Then you have access to your contacts.

I learned this fix from a supervisor at Apple customer support:

Surprisingly, the “Lists” view is actually the default view of the Contacts app.

Here’s how to have your device open up to the “Contacts” view:

Go to the top of the Lists view, and touch “All Contacts”.

Next, close down the Contacts app by swiping up.

When you reopen the contacts app, it appear in “Contacts” view

Not intuitive at all but that is the answer. Select "All iCloud" to return to all your contacts.

Oh, unless selecting the list "All iCloud" is supposed to be the route out. That seems to work. Odd paradigm, but...I'll take it.

senlac79 wrote:

That would be good.......... If it said "all icloud" anywhere!

Why don't I have this option anywhere in Lists or Contacts?

Because you are not using iCloud for syncing contacts. You are using some other email provider; perhaps Google, or Microsoft, Yahoo, etc. Whichever one you are using will appear at the top of the lists screen, and if you sync more than one contact source the top entry will be All Contacts.

Select "ALL ICLOUD" has worked for me

Thanks Alex

Select ALL ICLOUD is the magic bullet

Works instantly

Back in Contacts

That means that all of your contacts sync to gmail, and you don’t sync contacts from iCloud or anywhere else. Just tap on “gmail” to go to the Contacts view.

Hi charliemyboy,

For help with regarding the iOS update and refreshing calendars, you can test the steps below found in the article here: If your iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders won’t sync

"Refresh your contacts and calendars

To refresh your contacts, open the Contacts app and swipe down on the list. To refresh your contact groups, tap Groups in the upper-left corner, then swipe down on the list. 

To refresh your calendars:

1. Open the Calendar app.
2. Tap the Calendars tab.
3. Swipe down on the list to refresh your events.
4. "

Additionally, if you're referring to lists used with iCloud Contacts check out and test the steps for removing or editing contact groups with the links below.

Create and manage groups of contacts on iCloud.com - Apple Support

Manage and delete contacts on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Cheers.

Why does apple make me care about All iCloud vs. Contacts from iCloud? The difference is ambiguous. I want my one contact list plus ONLY the custom lists I create. These are senseless. Is one a super set of the other? Why do I care? What rules determine what contact goes into which list: “all” or “contacts from” ?

I thought the same. Don't know how to get back into LIST (not that I really want to). If I remember correctly, I didn't see All icloud anywhere either. I pressed the only ICloud option that was showing and that brought up ALL ICLOUD. Best of luck.

Stuck in Lists