Q: Contacts Search Freeze - iOS 9

I had the same problem but just resolved it.  I noticed that I received an e-mail from somebody  that showed it was from at different contact in the summary pane of my Mac Mail.  I went to the incorrect Contact to see why it would show up with the wrong incoming e-mail.  However, when I tried to select the incorrect e-mail it froze the Mail program.  I tried it several more times always with the same result.  Then I went to my iPhone and searched for the same incorrect Contact. In that case I was able to open the contact.  I scrolled down the information and was shocked to see hundreds of telephone entries and addresses and pages and pages of Notes.  I decided to delete the contact.  I selected Edit from the Contact and tried to scroll to the bottom to click the Delete button but overtime I did IOS kicked me out of the Contacts.  Instead I went back in and took the time to individually delete every listed Telephone number and Address.  When I finally got to the Notes section, I did a Select All, Delete and finally got to the Delete button at the bottom of the Contact. I hit delete and the Contact disappeared.  I then tried a search I knew would freeze Contacts, BUT IT DIDN'T!!!  Problem solved.  At least for me. It was tedious but at least it worked for me.  Good luck!

I can confirm this fix worked for me - albeit with a tweak.

I didn't have a corrupted contact like Ken did...but the "pages of pages" of notes made me wonder.  I have several contacts with detailed call logs in them.  As an experiment, I pulled out the top three longest notes.  My contact search speed definitely improved.  Then I pulled out the next ten longest...and again, my contact search speed improved.

My guess is there is something about the iOS 9 update that either corrupted the index used to search through contacts OR something about the update that changed the way the notes field is indexed that causes delays.

If anyone has any success with this, report back.  I already filed a developer bug with Apple -- but I will update it with more data.  I don't just want to use my own anecdote.

Same problem here with search in the contacts freezing after typing in 2 letters in the search window - spotlight search good workaround -

It was that way when I got the phone home after buying it from AT&T.

I took it right back and AT&T said they can't help - I would have to exchange it at the Apple store because it is broken. All exchanges have to happen with Apple. I still haven't gone because I haven't had time to spend 3 or so hours driving there and back, and hanging out while they fuss with it. And having my work phone line unavailable for a while - lost work not good. Next time I will simply return it. Get a refund, and buy a different one.

I installed the new update - same problem - although it seemed to fix the picture geotag issue - that was not working -

iBooks still starts in random places so you can't start where you left off. I haven't and won't buy any more iBooks until that's fixed. (Used to buy a lot.)

4k videos look amazing - iPhoto still won't download big 4k files - iFunbox seemed an amazing substitute until I read threads about a possible associated virus. A message now appears on the iFunbox app window that it should scan my drive for a possible virus. (Uh-oh)

I'm guessing the people who design these phones use Samsung - otherwise seems these issues would be long gone - or at least an insert of an acknowledgement in the thread by an Apple tech, and plan of action, instead of the Apple developers ignoring these threads. Amateur tech support seems to be the way of the future for Apple.

By the way, same problems with my wife's iPhone. Which accompanied the newer os update. I'm pretty sure it's not the phone.

Bug report update

Thanks. Good to know it isn't just me.

I have exactly the same problem and exactly the same set up - just tried IOS 921 and no fix. All I get told by apple is hard restart / clear the phone down. I have had enough. This contacts app bug is a very very time consuming and frustrating problem that causes the phone to hang, the screen to seem to stop accepting input and the contacts app to crash. The system hangs in the app can last 7 - 8 minutes. I can use other apps while I wait but I shouldn't have to wait this is a fundamental part of what is supposed to be a phone ..... not much of a phone now ... more of a brick

The work arounds with the email search and the message apps are more effective than waiting but not all my contacts are accessible from these apps.

One other vaguely useful thing is I usually type in the full contact's name. Now I just think of the most unique thing in 4 - 5 characters about that person's contact info and I type that in and it seems to get there a little faster and with fewer crashes.

The searchlight search enables me to type up in a full name without hanging .... it comes up with a list of names quickly ... but on clicking on a name it sometimes gives me a clear / white screen and it then crashes.

I probably have around 5000+ contacts and data in numbers of the notes sections.

Hopefully someone at Apple reads this stuff

I've had both Contacts and Calendar freezes. I have around 900 contacts and a calendar going back 10 years. When I got my iPhone 6 (which was running the last ios 8.xxx) the phone was unusable. After endless re-instals, I was told by the Apple Geniuses that IOS 9 would definitely fix the problem; it did not, and I returned the phone and got refunded.

Ever a sucker for punishment, when ios 9.1 came out I got a 6S which now runs ios 9.2.1. Same freezes happened. But I devised a fix. I installed an app "Simpler" for Contacts and the app "Week Cal" for Calendar. [disclaimer: I have absolutely no relationship with the developers of either app] I was already using them on my old iPhone 4 with ios 7.1.2 Provided I remember to search using them, I do not get freezes. Apple seems to have developed a microsoftian talent for messing up the basics and not saying "mea culpa".

Hi Lisa

I solved my similar issue that had driven me nuts for six months!!

Posted at length ...

iOS 9 Contacts Search Freezing - Fixed!!

In brief …

• iPhone 6 128GB persistently freezing when attempting to search 1852 contact cards.
• This issue appeared to be related to an update from iOS 8 and was not remedied with successive iOS updates or clean installs and rebuilds.
• I remedied and experimentally replicated issue of app freezing being associated with one contact containing a very large note (173,274 characters – 31,928 words)
• This huge ‘note’ had evolved with successive duplicates of this card being cloned … and subsequently merged.
• The offending note was relatively easy and quick to find.

Didn't seem to be an issue with earlier iterations of iOS and certainly not a problem within OS X.

I was able to replicate the issue experimentally with consistently laggy performance when the 'note' on the card was around 20,000 characters. And at 200,000 attempts to search the contacts brought the app to a grinding halt.

Apple's advice on 'limitations' (see iCloud: Limits for Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, and Bookmarks - Apple Support) doesn't make this really clear!

All is good now!!!

AWFUL!!! Contact search freezes! Called apple over and over - they cant fix it. THIS HAS BEEN KILLING ME SINCE October of 2015. I thoroughly hate apple for the first time in 30 years!!!

Thank you!