Contacts iPhone / iCloud not same

Hi - I have 599 contacts listed in my iPhone and only 433 showing on iCloud. iPhone is the correct one. How do I get them back in sync? Yes, I am using the same Apple ID for both (I only have one). If this helps, I recently got a new phone and this is the same on both the old phone and the new one. When I sync my iPad contacts to iCloud, it only gets the 433 contacts. If I make an edit to any of the common contacts using my phone, the update flows to iCloud fine. But if I change one of the contacts on my phone that is not on iCloud, it does not get added nor updated.


Any ideas? thanks.

iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 16

Posted on Mar 6, 2023 8:26 AM

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3 replies

Mar 7, 2023 12:42 PM in response to GwenCham

Here are some steps you can take to get your contacts back in sync:

  1. Check iCloud Settings: Firstly, ensure that your iPhone and iPad are both set up to sync contacts with iCloud. To do this, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and ensure that the toggle switch next to Contacts is turned on. If it's already on, toggle it off and on again to refresh the sync.
  2. Refresh iCloud Contacts: If the above step doesn't work, try refreshing your iCloud contacts. To do this, go to iCloud.com on a computer and sign in with your Apple ID. Then click on the Contacts icon and check if all your contacts are showing up there. If they are, click on the gear icon in the bottom left corner and select "Refresh Contacts". This will force iCloud to sync all your contacts.
  3. Check for Duplicate Contacts: Sometimes, duplicate contacts can cause syncing issues. Go to the Contacts app on your iPhone and check if you have any duplicate contacts. If you do, merge them together to avoid any syncing issues.


Mar 8, 2023 9:26 PM in response to GwenCham

If you perform a sync between your phone and iCloud, it should bring all of your contacts that are currently on your phone to your iCloud account.

However, before you perform the sync, it is recommended that you make a backup of your contacts, either by exporting them to a file or by backing up your phone. This will ensure that you do not lose any of your contacts in case anything goes wrong during the sync process.

Once you have made a backup, you can perform the sync between your phone and iCloud. This should bring all of your contacts that are on your phone to your iCloud account. After the sync is complete, you can check your iCloud account to make sure that all of your contacts are there. If you still notice any missing contacts, you can try to manually add them to your iCloud account.


I had an app developed by https://flutterdesk.com. it automatically save the backup of my iphone contacts and kept syncronizing to the iCloud. But it stopped working. So, yeah contacts on iPhone sometimes get difficult to manage

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Contacts iPhone / iCloud not same

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