evie.humphrey

Q: my contact names will not show up in Imessage on my mac? It is only numbers. A few contact names show up but not many

in my imessage i can type peoples contact names and they will come up but then it automatically changes to their number. some contacts will show but not many.

MacBook Air

Posted on Mar 26, 2016 7:02 PM

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Q: my contact names will not show up in Imessage on my mac? It is only numbers. A few contact names show up but not many

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  • by Ralph Johns (UK),Apple recommended

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Mar 28, 2016 1:05 PM in response to evie.humphrey
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Mar 28, 2016 1:05 PM in response to evie.humphrey

    Hi,

     

    Check both the iPhone and Mac are using the same service so sync the Contacts.

    On the Mac particularly restrict it to one Account/service.

     

    There can be issues if the Mac is using iCloud, Google and or Yahoo and others all at the same time.

     

    Most likely it is due to the two devices not syncing the Contacts lists.

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    9:05 pm      Monday; March 28, 2016

     

      iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
     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
  • by James Coyle1,

    James Coyle1 James Coyle1 Jun 22, 2016 7:59 AM in response to evie.humphrey
    Level 1 (104 points)
    Jun 22, 2016 7:59 AM in response to evie.humphrey

    I'm having this problem too and it arose when the Facebook Messenger app apparently hijacked all the contacts into its own database. This corrupted the Apple contact database, and now only my categories are showing in iCloud, but not of the contacts. I restored my iPhone, but all the messages immediately reverted to numbers only as soon as the iPhone synched with iCloud. I'm next going to again restore my iPhone, but disable all my synching to the cloud on all my devices, delete all contacts from all of them, and iCloud, and then sync the restored iPhone back to iCloud - hoping that will fix the problem - but the point here is - everything was fine until Facebook Messenger accessed the contact database.

     

    BTW, my contacts are fine on my Mac - this issue is only occurring on my iDevices.

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Jun 22, 2016 12:11 PM in response to James Coyle1
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Jun 22, 2016 12:11 PM in response to James Coyle1

    Hi,

     

    On the Mac in the System Preferences > Internet Accounts  go to the Facebook item and deselect the Contacts option.

     

    On the iOS devices also make sure in Mail, Calendars and Contacts that it is only using iCloud.

     

    By Logging in here https://www.icloud.com/ you can check the Cloud version is correct.

    If it is not turn of all versions and then work from the Mac to use one account and make sure it is "right" before the iOS devices link back to it.

     

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    8:11 pm      Wednesday; June 22, 2016

     

      iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
     iPhone and an iPad (2)
  • by CharlesCA,

    CharlesCA CharlesCA Jul 19, 2016 6:51 PM in response to evie.humphrey
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 19, 2016 6:51 PM in response to evie.humphrey

    I had a similar issue. The difference between my MacBook and my iPhone was I recently added an Exchange email account to the iPhone. In the Exchange account I had selected 'contacts' to sync as well. I unselected Exchange contacts (iPhone->Settings->Mail, Contacts, Calendars->Exchange->unselect contacts' and the photos for my contacts in iMessage came back.

     

    Good luck!

  • by JoybelleFL,

    JoybelleFL JoybelleFL Aug 5, 2016 5:37 AM in response to evie.humphrey
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Aug 5, 2016 5:37 AM in response to evie.humphrey

    Sorry, hit the wrong button...meant to reply to Ralph.

  • by JoybelleFL,

    JoybelleFL JoybelleFL Aug 5, 2016 5:38 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Aug 5, 2016 5:38 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    MacBook newbie here.

     

    Ralph, can you help me to figure out where to I check to see which service I am using to sync my Contacts?

     

    I want to make sure that I can still see my contacts in Google mail, Hotmail, and in Messenger...I am afraid of making a change that will preclude this. Perhaps syncing has nothing to do with what you can see in each of these accounts??

     

    Thanks!

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Aug 5, 2016 8:54 AM in response to JoybelleFL
    Level 9 (69,813 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 5, 2016 8:54 AM in response to JoybelleFL

    Try Contacts/Preferences/Accounts.

  • by JoybelleFL,

    JoybelleFL JoybelleFL Aug 5, 2016 10:08 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Aug 5, 2016 10:08 AM in response to Eric Root

    Thanks, Eric. I don't see that as an option anywhere on my phone OR Mac Book. Can you guide me to where that is? Sorry...been using PCs for 23 years! LOL

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Aug 5, 2016 11:19 AM in response to JoybelleFL
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Aug 5, 2016 11:19 AM in response to JoybelleFL

    HI,

     

    Go to https://www.icloud.com/ and check your list there first.

    Check it actually contains numbers and Names.

     

    Then on the iPhone > Settings > scroll down to Mail, Contacts and Calendars

    You will need to scroll the next "page" even further to see the Contacts section.

    The bit for Default Account  needs to list the service you are listing for the Contacts to be synced between various devices.

     

    The iPhone can only list one. (other then the On My Mac option).

    However a Mac can list everything in System Preferences > Internet Accounts (Yahoo, LinkedIn, Google and so on) plus the iCloud options if that is also set to sync Contacts.

    It is normally on the Mac that gets tried up with looking at every list that it does not get around to showing your the Names in Messages and only the Numbers.

     

    If the Mac or another device is trying to send loads of different lists info to iCloud which is then trying to send the combined list to the iPhone I suppose it is possible that the iPhone too will not show names properly.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    7:19 pm      Friday; August 5, 2016

     

      iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
     iPhone and an iPad (2)
  • by JoybelleFL,

    JoybelleFL JoybelleFL Aug 5, 2016 11:53 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Aug 5, 2016 11:53 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    I think I'm on the right track...I see that my iCloud contacts are not up to date! What's weird is that the Message "app" on the Mac Book can still find "Bob Smith" when I look for him, but it only shows up as a number. So the contact is somewhere, just NOT on the iCloud.

     

    My default Contacts on my iPhone is set to "Outlook." Don't know how to get Message app on Mac Book to look there for texts. I only have contacts in Outlook and iCloud, not a bunch of other places, so it should not be that onerous to the computer, but what do I know. :-)

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Aug 5, 2016 12:11 PM in response to JoybelleFL
    Level 9 (72,994 points)
    Applications
    Aug 5, 2016 12:11 PM in response to JoybelleFL

    Hi,

     

    Open the Contacts app on the Mac and then Preferences and then the Accounts Pane

     

    Once the Contacts App is open the name of the app top left becomes a Drop Down down menu.  Preferences is in here.

     

    The Accounts section will tend to show every possible option there is to have an Address Book/Contacts list.

     

    If more then one are active then the app gets stuck trying to see if both are updated correctly:-  it tries to endlessly sync the lists as it never finds the end and therefore you never get to see all the info you might have a Contact.

    It is about the way the app behaves in this situation rather than what is actually in the List.

     

    This is why I said check via a web Browser by going to https://www.icloud.com/

    and signing in and looking at the Contacts that are actually held on Line (in iCloud).

     

    If iCloud is going to be your method of syncing then turn Off all the others in Contacts by unticking the "Enable this Account" box.

    Contacts_Accounts.png

    As you can see System Preferences > Internet Accounts sends over all the possible "accounts" and in El Capitan it makes them all active by default - Plus the iCloud one as well.

     

    IF you are using Outlook for your Address Book then the iCloud will also be one that needs turning Off.

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    8:11 pm      Friday; August 5, 2016

     

      iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
     iPhone and an iPad (2)