Have you ever unlocked your iPhone only to be greeted by a sea of anonymous digits? It is as if your entire contact list had suddenly vanished into thin air. Your calling and messaging histories are suddenly filled with unfamiliar numbers, and you are suffering from sudden digital amnesia. Do not panic! This is a common problem in iOS wherein the contact names simply disappear in the goings-on of the operating system, but this can usually be fixed quickly.
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Things to Do First
Contacts things suddenly go haywire with the iPhone-that quick restart may just serve to bring those contacts back from the digital abyss! Consider this orientation as a mini-reset not just for your contacts but potentially for other gremlins lurking in your phone, like those pesky Apple Pay glitches.
An iPhone X or newer? The speedy shut-down: Hold either volume button together with the side button until the power-off slider appears; unleash it and power nap for 30 seconds. Lights off!
iPhone 6, 7, 8, or SE (2nd and 3rd generation): that means your phone needs to be quickly turned off and on again! Press and hold the side button until the power-off slider appears. Slide to shut down the phone. Wait for a few seconds, then press the side button again to wake it up. And there you have it: freshly rebooted phone!
Still wrestling with contact chaos? Before throwing your phone across the room, try a quick software refresh. Apple’s iOS updates act as digital spring cleaning, purging bugs and gremlins that interfere with your contacts list. To get this magic going, go toSettings>General>Software Updateand let the update work its charm on your iPhone. Lesser known is the earful that even a minor update can do for you!
Want some alien behavior to be acting about your contacts: should the iPhone need one, should it go for a quick refresh of the software? Download and install any updates available, just consider that. It is like a super tune-up for your iPhone; it will enhance security and enable some cool hidden features, all at the same time fixing the oddities with those contacts.
Unknown contacts, still driving you up the wall? Time to don your detective hat and dig a little deeper. Open your Phone or Contacts app and find one of those nameless wonders. Tap on it. Do you see the “Edit” button there, far on the top-right? Great! Press on it too! If there isn’t an “Edit” button present… bingo! That number hasn’t been saved as a contact. Time to name it and set it free from the land of the unknown!
Could the person simply be mysteriously missing on the contact list? Don’t panic. Check the contact details on their page first. There might be a slight typo in their name, phone number, or email id. If you correct those details,poofthe name may magically appear again!
Contacts AWOL? If the names have gone MIA in your Phone and Messages apps, then the iCloud Contacts might be busy playing some game of hide-and-seek. Turning to your iOS Settings for a quick check could reveal that iCloud Contacts have been unintentionally turned off, leaving your phone with just an ugly list of numbers to stare at!
To fix it, head toSettings ->iCloud.
Check below theSaved to iCloudsection. PressSee All.
Make sure theContactstoggle is switched toON. If it’s already on, turn it off and back on.
3. Check for Duplicate Contact Numbers
Is your iPhone showing just a number instead of a name? This annoying glitch usually happens when a number is saved under two different contacts by mistake. It’s like your iPhone having a case of mistaken identity, and there comes a number without huge respect!
Have any pesky calls from this number? No worries! This requires pulling up thePhoneapp in the first place. Then, selectContacts,and guests what, do you know how to track down your pest using the search bar? Voila!
More than one match for a number? Time to do some cleaning! Seeing the same digits pop in under different codes means one thing: duplicates in the contacts list. Tap the result to see the contact card, then tap “Edit” to start cleaning.
On the next screen, swipe down all the way to the bottom and tapDelete Contact.
4. Modify Your Contact Account Settings
Are some names showing up as wrong in your iPhone contacts? This might be because something accounted for in your account settings. Go toSettings >Apps >Contactsand make sure all the connected accounts are syncing along so you have all your precious contact info. Tame them now!
SelectContacts Accountsto find a list of all your connected accounts.
Tap on each account listed.
Check thatContactsis toggled on.
Tired of your iPhone contacts disappearing into thin air? This step must be followed to synchronize all the contacts, naming them loud and clear. Let the mystery numbers be gone, and say goodbye with a full contact list!
In case you notice one of your accounts is missing, press theAdd accountbutton.
Add your account from there.
Tip : here’s how to master any language using your iPhone without installing any apps.
5. Disable Short Name
While you are at it, feel free to think about turning off “Short Name.” Despite its intention to display the full name of your contacts, sometimes it works against you, making up names instead of showing them clearly. A simple toggle can save much confusion down the road.
UnderContacts, tap onShort Name.
Turn off theShort Nametoggle at the top.
6. Change Your Region
Is your iPhone acting geographically challenged and mixing up contact names with some sort of regional identity crisis? Do not let it bother you! A little stroll to the iPhone’s region settings may just be that magical passport ensuring the contacts show up correctly.
Navigate toSettings->General ->Language & Region.
Tap onRegion, and switch to a different one. Restart your iPhone to let the changes take effect.
Enable your offline autorestore features which ought to refresh/get back almost all of your disappearing contacts through the path to theSettingswhich you did walk upon your way to work.
7. Check Visibility of All Contacts
Another reason you may be facing the iOS contact name not showing issue is that some contacts may be hidden.
To verify and fix this, open either the Phone or Contacts app on your iPhone.
Check whether the screen showsContactsat the top. If not, tapListsin the upper-left corner.
Finally, selectAll Contacts.
This action will display all your contacts, including any that were previously missing or hidden.
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8. Reset Messages Settings
If you’re dealing with this issue in the Messages app, try resetting settings for the app.
To do that, openSettings ->Apps ->Messages.
Here, find theiMessageoption underneathLanguage. Toggle it off and then enable it again.
Still staring at an empty contacts list? Dont’m panic! If you had exhausted all possible avenues of recourse, I guess iCloud may have served as your Digital Time Machine. Unwinding your contacts to any prior state is possible, but only IF for some reason you decided to back it up beforehand. No backup: no rewind.
Open Safari or another browser on your iPhone. Go to icloud.com and log in with your Apple ID.
Tap on the menu button in the upper right corner and selectData Recovery.
Allow your phone to search for backups that are available for your device. Restore your info from there.
Tip : learn how to create a backup on your iPhone by checking our dedicated tutorial.
10. Reset Network Settings
You can also reset your iPhone’s network settings as a last resort. Go toSettings ->General ->Transfer or Reset iPhone.
PressReset.
SelectReset Network Settings.
Resetting network settings will not erase your photos and contacts. It’s like wiping the memory of your network connections. You will just need to enter again your Wi-Fi password and set back your cellular data settings for that one-time network refresh!
Your contacts playing hide-and-seek can be frustrating. For the utmost attention to detail, treat an untidily arranged contact list as the secret weapon to resolving chaos in an all-important meeting or at the dinner table. Harness the power! Therefore, learn how to set up your favorite account on your iPhone for new contacts. Have they become a digital Rolodex? Transfer the contacts with ease and keep the communications flowing!
Thanks for reading How to Fix Contact Names Not Showing Appearing as Numbers in iOS
