User profile for user: MSedo
MSedo Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Apple contacts: first contacts disappear, then entire groups

Hello.

I am using Apple contacts to manage my approx. 5500 contacts in different groups that are constantly updated. They are synchronised over the cloud on my Mac, my iPhone and iPad. I know that this is not ideal and I've got all sorts of problems, because I don't think that this app was ever created for so many contacts.

But still. It kinda worked until a few days ago contacts started disappearing in a group that I had just set up. As if the cloud set the group back to a version of a few minutes before. (Note: the contacts disappeared from the group, but they still existed in the database.) I had to add the contacts to the group several times until they seemed to be stable. Yesterday all seemed fine, but then today, this group and another one disappeared completely. Again: contacts still in the database, groups vanished. ARGH!

Can anybody help? Was there a general iCloud problem?

Thank you.

m.


MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Jan 29, 2023 2:44 PM

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User profile for user: chuckbl
chuckbl
User level: Community Specialist

Posted on Jan 31, 2023 12:40 PM

Hello MSedo,


Let's check the iCloud website using your computer to see if those groups are also not appearing there: iCloud


If those groups are also not appearing on the iCloud website, you can use the steps below to restore your contacts:


1. On iCloud.com, click the App Launcher button in the toolbar, then click Data Recovery.
2. Click Restore Contacts.
Available versions are listed by the date and time they were archived.
3. To the right of the version you want to restore, click Restore.
There may be more versions than can be displayed. Scroll to see them all.

Note: Wait until iCloud finishes restoring your contacts before you change them. During the restore process, any changes you make aren’t saved.


You can also find those steps in this resource: Restore contacts stored in iCloud on iCloud.com - Apple Support


Should that behavior still continue afterwards, has this occurred while connected to another Wi-Fi network?


Let us know, and we'll keep moving forward from there.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: chuckbl
chuckbl
User level: Community Specialist

Jan 31, 2023 12:40 PM in response to MSedo

Hello MSedo,


Let's check the iCloud website using your computer to see if those groups are also not appearing there: iCloud


If those groups are also not appearing on the iCloud website, you can use the steps below to restore your contacts:


1. On iCloud.com, click the App Launcher button in the toolbar, then click Data Recovery.
2. Click Restore Contacts.
Available versions are listed by the date and time they were archived.
3. To the right of the version you want to restore, click Restore.
There may be more versions than can be displayed. Scroll to see them all.

Note: Wait until iCloud finishes restoring your contacts before you change them. During the restore process, any changes you make aren’t saved.


You can also find those steps in this resource: Restore contacts stored in iCloud on iCloud.com - Apple Support


Should that behavior still continue afterwards, has this occurred while connected to another Wi-Fi network?


Let us know, and we'll keep moving forward from there.

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Apple contacts: first contacts disappear, then entire groups

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