Contacts: Entry slow or sluggish

Been fighting this one for some time-- first issue was to recover the company owner's lost personal Contacts due to iPhone/Contacts "Sync" not working.

We use OS X El Capitan Server for Contacts sharing: changing the Server Name on the clients from the full (internal) DNS name to the Bonjour Local name (e.g., Servername.local ) solved the beach-balling slow Contacts application.

I have the same problems witch CardDAV and it started before El Capitan with me. So not related to changes in El Capitan.

In my case I have two CardDAV servers on my internal network, both running the same software version (DSM from Synology). On my old and slow server, CardDAV works fast and responsive. On my fast server, editing records is slow. Copying records is fast. This is true for several mac's using these accounts.

Deleting the database on the server, nor on the client had any positive effect.

When I look at the network traffic with Wireshark, I see a lag of about 30 second for CardDAV traffic to start when starting to save an edited card. For me is this a sign that the problem is on the mac side and not the server side.

Michel: changing the Server Name on the clients from the full (internal) DNS name to the Bonjour Local name (e.g., Servername.local ) solved the beach-balling slow Contacts application.

This indeed solved my problem. It was not enough to change the server adres in the account settings. I had to delete the account and start a new account with the bonjour server adres.

My url that points to the internal IP did not work. The internal IP as adres also did not work. It had to be the bonjour name to fix this problem.

Good for my desktops but it won't help for my laptop that I also want to use from the internet. That prohibits the use of bonjour names.

For what it's worth: I spoke with Senior Apple Support about this problem (yes, I am experiencing it as well... consistently, and in the same fashion as it does for everyone here) and after some back and forth the rep told me that Apple Engineering is aware that it is a bona-fide problem with El Capitan and will be rolling the fix out in the "near future". When that actually is is anyone's guess. 😉

I'm on Yosemite and I have severe keystroke lag issues with Contacts. I have 2100+ Cards, all sync with iCloud. If I turn off my network connection the lag goes away. It seems as though Contacts.app is sending each keystroke to iCloud, which is particularly weird if I'm just searching.

It's "good" to know El Capitan didn't fix anything. Another reason to not bother with upgrading (Aperture has some issues with El Capitan). I suspect any fix for this problem will be post-El Cap.

I should add that since this bug doesn't impact Contacts/web or Contacts/iOS I one workaround is to do any significant editing in Contacts/web.

I have been having an ongoing problem with Apple regarding your exact issue with a slight twist. The difference is that the "sluggishness" started out on my iPhone 5S Contact App over 2-years ago and migrated to my iPad and iMac contact files. I have been battling Apple regarding this issue for better than 2 years and well in excess of 120-130 telephone conversations, emails, and letters since the problem has continued to transfer to each new iPhone or iPad I purchase. Apple has disavowed any responsibility and has pointed to the problem possibly being a corrupted file, too much data, iCloud corruption (which is what I believe it to be), and other justifications. I have countered each of Apple’s explanations only to end up 28 months later with the same issue on my iPhone 6S, my iPad and now my iMac. I have even gone so far as to purchase a Samsung s6, which did eliminate the problem (corruptions, iCloud and too much data in all), but for various other reasons I had to go back to iPhone against my better judgment and preference.

All of the above said, and all the letters and conversations with Apple representatives all the way up to Office of the President (because of letters I wrote), now Apple accepts the responsibility as theirs and tells me to keep my iOS software “up to date” without any explanation or idea as to when to expect a fix.

I am not a developer but have a long understanding of Apple products, as well as common sense. I have used only Apple products since the days of the Apple SE, so most of you know I am talking about 30 plus years of Apple allegiance. This is a software issue that has nagged Apple for years. They have not been able to quantify it nor have they cared because it has not involved enough Apple customers. Apparently, it has now reached sizable proportions involving enough customers and complaints that they are finally willing to accept responsibility.

One more aspect to this issue continually comes up, even to this day. When I purchased my iPhone 5S back on January 1, 2014, a peculiar password request came up on the new phone. For reference, it had never come up before, nor did I have the sluggishness problem going back to my 3G iPhone or the iPhone 5 that exchanged I for the 5S. I was asked for the password for lequisha@kittymail.***. To date, I am still asked for the password to the aforementioned email on any device I have. I have completely re-entered all contacts (twice) in the past 28 months and went so far as to purchase the Samsung s6 as mentioned above. I had over 1000 contacts (on my iPhone 5) to start and now have only 500 with half the data in the contact files I used to have, and yet the problem still exists.

I am extremely curious how other iPhone users have dealt with this issue and or fixed it themselves. I am also interested to know how large a problem this actually is and why Apple has covered it up so long.

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If you disable network access does the data entry speed improve?

No. The more serious "sluggishness" occurs on iPhone and iPad. They are so slow that it can take as much as 15-20 seconds to upload a single name to search. What's seems even more peculiar is that it takes as much time (or more) to delete the entry, as it does to enter it. As I mentioned, there is at least a 50% reduction in actual contacts data because I just gave up re-entering over 1000 entries one at a time. And I have eliminated any long notes I had in all my contact files.

Here's the strange part and why I believe it is an iCloud issue. When I transferred all data to a Samsung s6 I mistakingly duplicated all contacts so I ended up with over 1000 contacts and the contact file on the Samsung had no delay. So I eliminated the idea that any of my contacts were corrupted. Then I went back to iPhone (actually forced to) and I'm now using a 3rd party app to bring in an identical Google File with my contacts and it works without any delay whatsoever.

I've had this problem for 28 months and I'm getting tired of it. But what really got me upset was 2 weeks ago the Advance Tech attached to my case (from the Office of the President) said it WAS an Apple issue after over 2-years and all my cooperation. I am willing to email video's for anyone to see what I'm talking about as I did with Apple when it started and again very recently.

You win a prize for perseverance!

I have been able to make do by using the web interface for data entry.

Did you get the impression Apple was going to fix the bug?

I'd say waaay beyond perseverance. This is what happens when companies think they own their customer base.

I found a round-about fix by using a third party app on my iPhone, but that's not the way this is supposed to work. I should be able to use my iPhone the way it was intended. If I sound a bit "soured" on Apple it's because I am. I've probably spent over $100,000 over the years on Apple products and since I'm no longer part of their marketing profile I get thrown away.

And my impression is that they are not interested to fix this issue unless it continues to grow. That said, it took them [Apple] over 2-years to acknowledge they have a problem at all. That was over 2 weeks ago and I haven't heard a peep from them since.

This is terrible, the amount of bugs in El Capitan it's just unavailable 😟 annoying! Same problem as all of you.

Just wondering if some of the apple executives is taking a look to all these issues as why revenue is going down. I know a lot of people that used to be apple supporters and now are switching off, even from iPhones. Not the same quality of products that we used to have.

Did you try to use MS office in El Capitan? that's annoying...

I have same problem- iPhone contacts on iPhone 5, iOS9, as you type in a name after first two letters, nothing shows on the screen for 5 secs then the letters you have been typing begin to show. I've followed all the forum advice with full resets, keyboard changes, and long time on phone to apple today doing full backup, full restore and to no avail. I've tried messing with creating Groups on the cloud but it doesn't work. I am also convinced that the as I type my search on contacts on the phone, it is searching at the same time on the cloud which is why a delay is occurring. I have iCloud backup up setup on my phone.

It's more than annoying to read on here how many other people have this problem and see Apple after doing nothing. I certainly won't bother upgrading my phone, when I know the software is getting flawed and not being corrected like this.

One more aspect to this issue continually comes up, even to this day. When I purchased my iPhone 5S back on January 1, 2014, a peculiar password request came up on the new phone. For reference, it had never come up before, nor did I have the sluggishness problem going back to my 3G iPhone or the iPhone 5 that exchanged I for the 5S. I was asked for the password for lequisha@kittymail.***. To date, I am still asked for the password to the aforementioned email on any device I have. I have completely re-entered all contacts (twice) in the past 28 months and went so far as to purchase the Samsung s6 as mentioned above. I had over 1000 contacts (on my iPhone 5) to start and now have only 500 with half the data in the contact files I used to have, and yet the problem still exists.

I can't help with your contacts issue, but this one I can shed some odd light on. I bought my first iphone a year ago at an apple store, directly was handed the phone by an apple employee, and it was the first phone I ever had without a physical keyboard and for the life of me could not get my apple id password in properly. (or so I thought) It kept asking over and over. Multiple times a day. I just thought it was some iphone thing. Because the phone would keep working, but it would ask again an hour later.

Fast forward a year. We shuffle phones through the family. I'm going to give my phone to my mom. I wipe the phone I take it off my itunes account. Lo and behold the phone is demanding the password for an apple id I totally don't recognize and I can't sync the phone to my mom's itunes. Totally weird. Took the phone to the apple store with the original receipt in my email (this was critical to get them to fix it). They needed a manager override to rewrite the phone's id. Somehow the phone thought it belonged to someone else.

I've been reading about scams where people buy and return phones and now wonder if I got one of those. But they didn't say how the phone had gotten the wrong id in the first place. But they did fix it. With the original receipt that matched the phones chip ids.

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Now that this issue is out in the open maybe Apple will stop telling “us” that it is not their problem, or it must be “your” corrupted file(s) and delete all contacts and re-enter them, or we’ll look into it, ad nauseam. Your problem is IDENTICAL to mine with one exception; I have changed phones 5 times since the original 5S purchase January 1, 2014. So the problem is most likely, as you say, in the “ID,” but in my case, it is prolonged through the iCloud.

Roughly 6 months ago an Apple tech named Mary took this issue to the Apple development department. She called back a week later and said “development” told her that it HAD to be the original phone was previously used and returned, which struck a chord. Purchased from Verizon, I clearly remember the sales person coming from behind closed doors with the iPhone 5S unwrapped, voila, case closed, you would think. From the day this particular Apple representative mentioned this information, not a single Apple employee has even declared or so much as addressed the issue. Cover up? As of this day, not a single Apple or Verizon representative will even address the possibility of the scam you indicate. So the problem goes on for untold thousands or tens of thousands so that Apple and the cell carriers (I’m sure it’s not just Verizon) don’t end up in a huge class action lawsuit costing unimaginable amounts of money. Remember, loose lips sink ships is the corporate world motto.

Geckogreen, certainly you got this right, but until Apple is willing to deal with their culpability with regards to this matter we all continue to pay the price. This may not have started with Apple, but most assuredly they perpetuated it by not instituting a security measure on all iPhones when it became obvious what was happening. Or is it that Apple is embarrassed it allowed this problem to grow out of proportion and show how vulnerable Apple security really is?

Do you recall what the email addresses were that kept coming up on your iPhone? I had four, but eventually, 3 went away and to this day it continues with lequisha@kittymail.*** on my iPhone 6S.

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