Why are my contact names replaced with contact phone numbers on iChat/iMessage?

I think it might help if I activate my phone followed by adding the new number as part of my Apple ID account. Once I do all that I'll come back and let you know. Thanks so much for the help so far. I couldn't get the Console to display anything useful.

Understood.

8:43 pm Wednesday; November 13, 2013

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

Have you ever resolved this ?

So, no one was able to resolve this ? Ever ?

Hi,

Try a Safe Boot

7:52 pm Wednesday; May 14, 2014

The answer is to ensure that the international dialling code is added to all of your contacts numbers in Address book. Once you add the dialling code their names will appear in iMessage.

Running OS X 10.9.5. Had same problem with Messages on one of my Macs. Spoke with Apple Support. He had me sign out of iCloud, reboot computer, and sign in to iCloud. This solved the problem...now the Contact Names show up properly in both columns of Messages.

On my iPad I went to settings, iCloud and turned ON my contacts and it fixed it!!!

I have the same problems with the contacts name and number even I did turnn on Contacts sharing on icloud account. The thing I missed is that in Contacts, I saved the number without nation code even for the US (without +1). When I added +1 to all US contacts, it is solved. Now I have names appeared instead of just numbers. So you guys can check and see if it works for you.

Hi,

In the Messages app > Preferences > Accounts > iMessage account use the Details button (you will have to Sign in to see the details).

Check the Country/region is correct here as well.

6:36 pm Friday; December 26, 2014

Hey all,

I finally figured out a fix for myself.

I had iCloud turned on for all devices, everything seemed to be synced up, the country code didn't do anything for me...

I realized, looking through my contacts on my Mac, that my iPhone wasn't syncing all of the numbers and contacts I had to iCloud.

In other words, there was a contact card on my iPhone with a number, but it wasn't showing up on my Mac or on iCloud.com.

Those numbers that were not synced, consequently, were the no-name numbers in iChat, where only a number would display instead of the contact name.

Turns out, Messages, or iChat, only use contact cards stored in gmail.

FIX:

On the iPhone, go to:

Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > (scroll down to "contacts" subcategory) Default Account > iCloud

(I had gmail selected previously, though I never selected gmail over iChat so I don't know why my iPhone was configured this way.)

Finally, you will then have to remake all of the contact cards that were not originally made in iCloud. All of the numbers that were showing up, instead of names, in Messages, were all contact cards I had made with this gmail default account. Unfortunately, iCloud didn't import the contact cards automatically from gmail.

A simple solution to this is to export your cards from gmail, then import them using your Contacts app on your Mac.

Voila! All my messages have a name to them now!

I also figured out a simple fix.

In System Preferences/Internet Accounts, under my iCloud account, I also had two Gmail accounts. In the settings of those Gmail accounts I unchecked the contacts check boxes so that my Messages app only referenced the contacts on iCloud (an subsequently, the contacts on my iPhone).

Immediately, the issue was resolved.

Job done.

usually the contact list will not sync with the iMessage if there is a country code in front of the number. For example if in iMessage there is a +1 and there is not a +1 on your contact the name of the contact will not show on iMessage.

Hi,

It used to be that the App itself in a button in Preferences > Accounts > iMessages account called "Details" could state the Location of the Mac.

It would then add the country code to all the telephone numbers used from the Contacts app if there was not one.

This option is no longer there and the app seems to pick up the Location info from somewhere else.

(either System Preferences > Date and Time > Time Zone or the Language and Region Pane.)

The only time I have seen the numbers show instead of the Names in the Contacts app is when the Contact app is not syncing properly.

7:03 pm Monday; January 4, 2016

I had the same issue. My new contacts also dont sync on my Mac