iPhone contacts missing - no names, only numbers

I had this problem after restoring a backup onto my new phone. I found that my Outlook (Hotmail, actually) account wasn't connected to my Contacts on my phone, so I added it back. Even though I had connected my account to Mail (Settings>Mail>Accounts>Add Account), when I checked the Contacts screen in Settings only my iCloud account was connected and not my Outlook account.

So try this:

Settings>Contacts>Accounts>Add Account

Make sure the Contacts switch is turned on.

i had this problem and solved it as follows- a scenario where you have backed up your contacts on gmail and you made some changes that might have erased them;

if you have synced your contacts with gmail like me

- go to a pc and log in to gmail

- click on the drop down on gmail icon and click contacts

-click more... (just before settings option)

- then click undo changes ----- click the appropriate period you might have made changes to your phone

- then you will all contacts back

- go to your phone and refresh gmail or turn contacts on and off on mail i.e

settings> mail>accounts>xxxx gmail (your mail)>contacts

FIXED ISSUE as of *29 Nov 2017*- i was having the same problem

1. Go into contacts under your phone icon
2. Select a contact you are familiar with (just in case you accidentally delete something)
3. Go to edit
4. Highlight where the Phone number is like you would be making changes to the Phone number

(Don't change anything with the number, however it should show the "Done" option highlighted now)

(If "Done" is not highlighted erase the last number and repopulate it)

5. Click "Done" and check your contacts in messages.

This worked for mine and instantly restored my contacts.

If it didn't work there is one other option.

1. Take any protective cases off
2. Throw it into traffic
3. Buy an Android

Fixed it twice now. Go to your Settings: Contacts: Short Name. The toggle the green off then back on. Worked for me.

There are several other solutions outlined in the thread. Beyond what has been posted here, I do not know of anything else to try except for signing out of iCloud and then back in again to get them to re-sync: Settings>your name>scroll to the bottom and click on Sign out. Do not "Keep" your contacts when the prompt asks if you want to do that. Before you sign out of iCloud, make sure that your contacts are all showing on iCloud by going to iCloud.com via a browser on a computer.

If that doesn't work, then go through the thread again. There are several other suggestions in the thread.

GB

AWESOME THANK YOU!!!!! This was the only thing that worked. I re-added my recently deleted gmail account to Mail, restarted my iPhone and IT WORKED! Thanks so much!

In icloud settings, turn on off contacts button (sync)

restart your ph and all on place like before,

Deleted WhatsApp and problem has stopped!

There are several posts with different solutions depending on your circumstances. You need to go through the thread and try the solutions already posted.

Cheers,

GB

If you have a question for your fellow users, in order to help with an issue you are having, please feel free to post that information, and we will see how we can help. Just the facts - all editorializing left to the side, please.

Cheers,

GB

This just recently happened to me, and I have gone through all 5 pages of responses and tried each of these fixes. None of them has worked. I deleted my gmail account and put it back in and have now made gmail my default 'contacts' account. I logged onto icloud, and even though I had previously had icloud contacts 'on' to sync, there are only about 15 names in my icloud 'contacts' account.

So a few questions:

1) this has happened to me about 3 times before, and i have never been able to restore my contacts (even after sitting for an hour with the genius bar at an Apple store) - why does this keep happening? (Previously I have re-entered every single contact in my phone, using text messages to determine who people were).

2) why do i not have any contacts in my icloud.com account even though I was syncing from my phone previously?

3) now that I have made gmail my default 'contacts' account (previously it was 'my iphone'), I tried to go back into my icloud settings on my phone and turn contacts back 'on.' However I got a message that it would merge my icloud contacts...which I think means it will take the 15 contacts from my icloud.com account and try to put those on my phone, and delete everything else...which is NOT what I want to happen.

4) how do I prevent this from happening again?

Thank you!

How what? If you have a question, please state it clearly and completely. If you have tried any of the solutions in the thread, state which ones you have used. What are the circumstances around which this suddenly happened to you?

GB

It would behoove you to read the thread. It's not that long, and the "how did u figure it out" is in there.... There are several solutions, so you need to try them to see if any of them work for you.

GB

I've had already been through the thread but all i can find is people with the same problem. I tried the one that talked about "icloud turn off and on contacts". That one didn't work. Where are the answers that you have behooved me to read?

Ditto. Have tried various fixes, but nothing works. Long list of contacts with missing names at the end of my contacts list. Phone numbers are intact, but names are gone. Continues to happen — contacts will suddenly “disappear” from the list.