London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

8 ways to troubleshoot when your contacts are not showing up on an iPhone

8 ways to troubleshoot when your contacts are not showing up on an iPhone

You can fix iPhone contacts not showing by restarting and updating your phone, toggling iCloud contacts, showing all contacts, and more.

When you add someone to your iPhone's Contacts app, you expect that person to forever be at your fingertips. And usually, that's the case. But sometimes your contacts list doesn't work the way you expect, and some of your contacts don't show up on your iPhone.

While there are many reasons why this might happen, you can fix contacts not showing up on your iPhone in eight ways. Here's how:


Restart your iPhone


If you troubleshoot computer (or smartphone) problems from time to time, you quickly learn that many of the common problems are caused by a temporary software glitch. Usually, you can easily solve the issue by rebooting your phone. 

If you need a reminder, here is how to restart any iPhone. After the phone restarts, check if you can see the contacts you're looking for.


Make sure you're showing all contacts


Sometimes, the reason you can't see all your contacts is that they could have been set to hidden. 

Here's how you can check and fix it: 

1. Open the Contacts or Phone app on your iPhone.

2. Make sure it says Contacts at the top. If it doesn't, tap Lists in the top left corner.

Tap "Lists."


3. Tap All contacts.

Check if you can see all the contacts that were previously missing.

Quick tip: The lists in the Contacts and Phone app are linked, so showing all contacts in one app will reveal them in the other as well.


Make sure Contacts sync is enabled on connected email accounts



If you have multiple email accounts on your iPhone, you should be aware that each account might have its own contacts list, too. It's possible the contacts are disabled for one or more of these accounts, and there's a way you can check this. 

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. 

2. Tap Mail. 

3. On the Mail app's settings page, tap Accounts.

Tap "Accounts."


4. Check each account: Tap an account name and, if it has an entry for Contacts, make sure it's enabled by swiping the button to the right.


Turn on iCloud backup for contacts


You probably already backed up your iPhone to iCloud, and part of that backup includes your contacts. But if you have multiple devices, you should be backing them all up to iCloud. 

If you added a contact on your iPad, for example, unless you're syncing both the iPad and your iPhone to iCloud, the new iPad contact will never make its way to your phone.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Tap your account name at the top of the screen. 

Tap on your name at the top of the Settings app.


3. Tap iCloud.

4. In the Apps Using iCloud section make sure Contacts is enabled by swiping the toggle button to the right. 

Quick tip: If you can't see the Contacts toggle right away in the Apps Using iCloud section, tap Show All.

Tap "Show All."


5. Now repeat that process on your iPad to make sure all contacts end up on both devices.


Re-sync with iCloud


It's possible that some of your contacts are stored in iCloud but, for some reason, aren't making their way to your phone when iCloud regularly syncs with your devices. You can often solve this by toggling iCloud off and on again to trigger a forced sync. 

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. 

2. Tap your account name at the top of the screen. 

3. Tap iCloud.

4. In the Apps Using iCloud section, turn off iCloud sync for Contacts by swiping the toggle button to the left. 

Toggle off "Contacts."


5. In the pop-up, tap Keep on My iPhone. 

6. Wait a moment, and then swipe the Contacts toggle button to the right to turn it back on. 

7. In the pop-up, tap Merge to combine your phone's contacts with the ones on iCloud.

After a few minutes, all your contacts should re-sync and hopefully your missing contacts will appear.


Turn off Short Name


Short Name is a setting for contacts that makes your contacts easier to read, but there may be times when this feature conflicts with third-party apps. Try turning this feature off to see if it fixes the problem. 

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Tap Contacts. 

3. Tap Short Name. 

Tap "Short Name."


4. Turn off Short Name by swiping the toggle button to the left.


Check for iOS updates


Finally, it's always possible — though not very likely — that a bug or software incompatibility on your iPhone has affected the Contacts app's ability to display all your contacts. 

You should check to make sure your iPhone's operating system is fully up to date, and make sure the Phone and Contacts apps are updated as well.


Contact Apple Support


If you've tried all the steps above and nothing has worked, you might want to contact Apple support for assistance. They can help you get to the bottom of the problem. 

You can also check the official Apple support community for iPhone users for solutions, or ask fellow users for help by posting your issue on the forum.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
×