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iOS17 can't search for contacts

I have an iPhone 15 with iOS 17. When I try to search for contacts that are in the phone, the area under the search window goes blank as soon as I start typing.

iPhone 15, iOS 17

Posted on Sep 29, 2023 11:20 AM

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Posted on Jan 18, 2024 1:21 AM

This bugged me for weeks now, and finally the solution that worked for me, thanks to @Williamalfy is:


Settings > Contacts > Siri & Search > Disable 'Show Contact Suggestions'


It seems like the search is working but takes forever as it tries to search through contacts for similar suggestions.

Disabling the option above speeds up the search as it only searches for the names matching the text typed in the search bar

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Question marked as Best reply

Jan 18, 2024 1:21 AM in response to dlillenstein

This bugged me for weeks now, and finally the solution that worked for me, thanks to @Williamalfy is:


Settings > Contacts > Siri & Search > Disable 'Show Contact Suggestions'


It seems like the search is working but takes forever as it tries to search through contacts for similar suggestions.

Disabling the option above speeds up the search as it only searches for the names matching the text typed in the search bar

Oct 1, 2023 7:51 PM in response to dlillenstein

Thank you. I did what you recommended. It turned out there was some kind of a glitch in my data backup in iCloud. So I ended up clearing out the phone and then I had to hook up to my Mac and redownload iOS but I did not do an iCloud backup to a previous backup. I manually downloaded apps and only synched contacts to the phone. It’s working now.

Oct 1, 2023 7:11 PM in response to dlillenstein

Hi dlillenstein,


The first recommended action will be to ensure you've installed all available updates to iOS 17 and restart the device before proceeding.


If still unable to search contacts, try going to Settings, choosing Siri & Search, then Contacts. Toggle the setting for "Allow Content in Search" ensuing that the final position is turned on.


You may also try creating a new test contact and then attempting a search to see if this triggers a change in the search function.


Regards.

iOS17 can't search for contacts

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