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

Why are my contacts on iChat (iMessage) via MacBook Pro OS X Mavericks now just showing the phone number instead of the saved name? I don't know if this issue came after I updated my system to Mavericks or if it occured before but this is annoying. My iCloud account is linked, contacts and all. HELP!

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 31, 2013 12:17 PM

Reply
30 replies

Nov 1, 2013 2:28 PM in response to radiofootage

Hi,


By Default Messages should show all the "Choices" of contact methods on the Addrerss Card that you have for that person.


Lets say for instance that you start typing their Name in the "To" spot in Messages.

This should show their phone Numbers (it will also consider Landlines and non iPhone numbers as "Possibles" for iMessages).

It will shows you any AIM screen Name or Jabber ID including Google or Facebook and Yahoo IDs if they are in the Adress Card.

As well as the phone numbers it should also show you their Apple ID.

Those Buddy List IDs that are On line will show with green Blobs

Those iMessages potentials will be marked with blue blobs if a chat to the persons is in the Side bar of the Main Window.


This of course presumes that the Settings in Contacts > Preferences > Accounts is the one that syncs with iCloud

If the On My Mac account is On then the details need to be on your computer

If the iCloud account is On then the sync between iPhone and Mac should make sure your Contacts list is full




User uploaded file
9:28 pm Friday; November 1, 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

Nov 10, 2013 11:34 AM in response to Hobbsilla

Hi Hobbsilla,


I would ask you if the Address Cards show both name and Number ?

Or if the person you are iMessaging is actually in your Contacts List ?



User uploaded file
7:34 pm Sunday; November 10, 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

Nov 10, 2013 2:54 PM in response to Hobbsilla

Hi,


At this point I am lost for answers.


The Menu item in the Edit Menu > Messages > Show Names only applies to Buddy lists chats as far as I am aware.

It may cross over to all chats but it should then still show the Name rather than the contact method details.


Do some show as Apple IDs instead of Names?


It is late where I am and it will be a while before I am back






User uploaded file
10:54 pm Sunday; November 10, 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

Nov 11, 2013 11:50 AM in response to Hobbsilla

Opps,


That should have been the View Menu > ...

Sorry about that.


My Mac Version of the iMessages account Send From the Apple ID.

The iPhone is set to Send From the iPhone number.

As such I would expect some to appear as Apple IDs/emails in some cases. (If the link to the Contacts app is not working properly.)


In Applications/Utilities there is the Console App.

If you launch this app does it say anything about Messages not finding the Contacts App ?







User uploaded file
7:50 pm Monday; November 11, 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

Nov 13, 2013 11:25 AM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Oh thats a really good suggestion.


The console only shows as far back as yesterday (the 10th of November 2013) when Message is inserted in the search bar.


I do get some error messages regarding the AddressBookSourceSync but I don't think they have to do with the contact names (they're mainly settings regarding show names, handles, bubbles versus compact) but tell me if you spot something unusual, I've expanded all of the threaded messages to show all of the text.


11/10/13 4:42:51.978 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.FontSize] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.

11/10/13 4:42:51.989 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.FontColor] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.

11/10/13 4:42:51.994 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.BalloonColor] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.

11/10/13 4:42:51.994 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.FontFamily] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.

11/10/13 4:42:51.995 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.RandomBalloonColor] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.

11/10/13 5:55:14.737 PM WindowServer[95]: disable_update_timeout: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Messages" for over 1.00 seconds. Server has re-enabled them.

11/10/13 5:55:14.771 PM WindowServer[95]: common_reenable_update: UI updates were finally reenabled by application "Messages" after 1.03 seconds (server forcibly re-enabled them after 1.00 seconds)

11/10/13 5:59:54.812 PM Messages[31211]: *** WARNING: -[NSImage compositeToPoint:fromRect:operation:] is deprecated in MacOSX 10.8 and later. Please use -[NSImage drawAtPoint:fromRect:operation:fraction:] instead.

11/11/13 12:00:10.179 AM Messages[31211]: CoreAnimation: warning, deleted thread with uncommitted CATransaction; set CA_DEBUG_TRANSACTIONS=1 in environment to log backtraces.

11/11/13 3:09:00.284 PM WindowServer[95]: disable_update_timeout: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Messages" for over 1.00 seconds. Server has re-enabled them.

11/11/13 3:09:00.635 PM WindowServer[95]: common_reenable_update: UI updates were finally reenabled by application "Messages" after 1.35 seconds (server forcibly re-enabled them after 1.00 seconds)

11/11/13 3:09:00.819 PM Messages[41029]: iMessage messages are potentially out of order for <IMChat 0x7fd3a0df24a0> [Identifier: +************ GUID: iMessage;-;+************* Persistent ID: *********** Account: A49FEF23-6AA6-4AD6-AA5D-36C07474F142 Style: - State: 3 Participants: 1 Room Name: (null) Display Name: (null) Unread Count: 0 Failure Count: 0]



first out of order id: 3756

11/11/13 4:38:06.000 PM kernel[0]: PM notification timeout (pid 41732, Messages)

11/11/13 4:38:36.000 PM kernel[0]: PM notification timeout (pid 41732, Messages)

11/11/13 4:39:54.864 PM sandboxd[153]: ([41732]) Messages(41732) deny iokit-set-properties IOAudioControlValue

11/11/13 6:35:43.695 PM WindowServer[95]: CGXSetWindowListTags: Modification of kCGSPermittedBeforeLoginTagBit (30) on a window 0x2bbf requiring rights kCGSWindowRightOwner by caller Messages

11/11/13 6:52:17.052 PM Messages[41732]: CGSOrderWindowListWithGroups: invalid window ID (11199)



<Personal Information Edited by Host>

Nov 12, 2013 11:54 AM in response to Hobbsilla

HI,


They are really odd messages.


the First 5:-


11/10/13 4:42:51.978 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.FontSize] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.

11/10/13 4:42:51.989 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.FontColor] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.

11/10/13 4:42:51.994 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.BalloonColor] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.

11/10/13 4:42:51.994 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.FontFamily] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.

11/10/13 4:42:51.995 PM AddressBookSourceSync[30357]: -[ABPerson valueForProperty:com.apple.Messages.RandomBalloonColor] - unknown property. This warning will be displayed only once per unknown property, per session.


Under the hood the Contacts App is still called the Address Book (like Messages is called or Identified as iChat)


In Messages 8 in Mavericks > Preferences > Viewing (Mesages in earlier versions) you can set the Font, the background (balloon) colour and the size and colour of the Font.



I have chosen a custom green as the Background, Arial Black at 12point and kept the Font text Black (unaltered) in my settings.

User uploaded file

On a separate note that might be related to this is that early versions of iChat used to fail to launch if the System Font Helvetica was missing or substituted with Helvetica Fractions.

It would display incorrectly if Lucida Grande was Missing or turned Off.


Now the Names of Contacts in iMessages and Buddies in Chats have to be displayed and it may be the Font for this is "Missing"


It may be that in the Viewing pane you have not selected a Font that is in Mavericks

It could be that a Font needed by the app is Missing or has been Disabled or become corrupt.



User uploaded file
7:54 pm Tuesday; November 12, 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

Nov 12, 2013 12:26 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

I tried applying the same settings you had and even restarted my computer and nothing changed. Now when I go to the Console and type Messages into the consol I get so many other mentions from other apps (more noise). Heres two things I forgot to mention. I don't have Contacts enabled for iCloud on both my iPhone and and Mac. I use standard Google CalDav for OSX and a Microsoft Exchange setting both using the same single gmail account. And I removed my US SIM card from my iPhone because I'm abroad. I wonder if I activate my iPhone with my new SIM card (its not unlocked yet) then maybe this will fix my problem.

Nov 12, 2013 1:43 PM in response to Hobbsilla

HI,


So this bit does not contain your iPhone number ?


iMessage;-;+573103375993 Persistent ID: +573103375993 Account: A49FEF23-6AA6-4AD6-AA5D-36C07474F142 Style: - State: 3 Participants: 1 Room Name: (null) Display Name: (null) Unread Count: 0 Failure Count: 0]


It seems to indicate that there is one chat that is a Group one.


At this point I am a little unsure which way to go with this.

The Fonts in some places seem to be what is coming up.

But the info also seems to point to other issues such as window rendering and Animation.




User uploaded file
9:43 pm Tuesday; November 12, 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

Nov 13, 2013 12:25 PM in response to Hobbsilla

Hi,


Those Console items listed the current iPhone number whilst the app is presumably listing your current and old one whilst you seem to indicate the Contacts App > My Card is still only list your old one.


The Console items also indicate something about the Contacts App/Address Book in the early things that are listed.



User uploaded file
8:25 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

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

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