17.6.1 update problems!

Updates don’t delete contacts, because contacts sync to email accounts that have nothing to do with iOS. So if you changed or deleted an email account recently that might be the problem.

If the emails sync to iCloud specifically, see→iCloud: Restore contacts, calendars, and more in iCloud Settings

Claire600 wrote:

This happened with my mom too. It seems like it merged contacts with the same name. Like if two contacts had the same first name, both of their contacts merged under one contact name. Please lmk if you find a fix for this.

The Contacts app doesn't merge two contacts because the first name is identical. It requires more points of similarity than that.

If you have contacts linked that you don't want to be linked, go to the contact, tap Edit in the upper right corner, then go to the bottom and tap the red minus next to the entries you don't want to be linked.

This happened with my mom too. It seems like it merged contacts with the same name. Like if two contacts had the same first name, both of their contacts merged under one contact name. Please lmk if you find a fix for this.

I am having the same issue, granted i didnt back it up. but my mom number my wife which have been in my phone from day 1 lost them all. All my favorites are just numbers, it lost the names.