iMessage only showing contacts’ email addresses not phone numbers

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Level 1

11 points

iMessage only showing contacts’ email addresses not phone numbers

When I type a few contact’s name in the “To:” line in Messages, it only pulls up their email address. It does not allow me to send the message to their phone unless I search the name in contacts and start the message from there. This is a fairly recent change, it used to work fine. These contacts also have iPhones.

I found this same problem listed from someone else back on April 24, 2018. I tried all of these suggestions and none of them helped:

iPhone 7, iOS 12.0.1

Posted on Oct 13, 2018 5:45 PM

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Answer 1

CarlAVII

Community Specialist

Oct 15, 2018 2:22 PM in response to Irish twin

Hello Irish twin,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! I understand that certain iPhone contacts only show an Apple ID and not phone number when composing an iMessage in the Messages app. I would be happy to help provide some additional steps to take next.

Let's start by going to Settings > Siri & Search > Mail. Turn off Siri & Search Suggestions for Mail, then test if the behavior persists. Next, try editing one of these contacts in the Contacts app, confirming that their phone number appears as an iPhone (not home, work, mobile, etc). You may also want to try to delete the contact completely, then readd the contact.

Let us know if there's any change after trying those steps.

Cheers!

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Answer 2

Irish twin Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 16, 2018 4:44 PM in response to CarlAVII

Thanks for your reply and suggestions. Unfortunately, they didn't help. I turned off Siri and Search Suggestions for Mail, but it continued. I had already checked to be sure their phone number appears as an iPhone (not home, work, mobile, etc). After doing these two things, it still didn't work.

Now for one contact, I just deleted it and now it seems to work for that one person.

I wouldn't think I should have to go through and check each contact and delete and readd the contacts as this happens.

I just tried texting someone else this evening and the same thing happened. I had to go in through their contact information to be able to send them a text. This person, I really don't know if they have an iPhone or not. Their number is listed under mobile.

I noticed this person has several "linked contacts", 2 iclouds, 2 Gmail, and 1 Oelwein School.

Would these linked accounts have anything to do with it? It's just very confusing.

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iMessage only showing contacts’ email addresses not phone numbers

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