Users have reported about Contacts disappearing from iPhone. You can find below the steps to fix the issue of Contacts Missing or not showing up on iPhone.
Why Contacts Disappeared from My iPhone?
While the issue of Contacts disappering from iPhone is usually reported after an iOS update, this problem can also occur due to various other reasons.
If the problem is not related to an iOS or App update, the problem of Contacts not showing up or appearing on your device might be due iCloud Contacts not syncing or iCloud Contacts being disabled on your device.
Apart from this, this problem can also occur due to incorrect iCloud Settings, iCloud glitches, Email Contacts not syncing on your device and other reasons.
1. Re-sync iCloud Contacts
If Contacts have suddenly disappeared from iPhone, you should be able to get them back by disabling and then enabling iCloud access to Contacts App on your device.
1. Open Settings > tap on your Apple ID Name > iCloud > Show All > On the next screen, move the toggle next to Contacts to OFF position.
2. On the pop-up, select Keep on My iPhone option.
3. After 30 seconds, enable iCloud Contacts back on your device by moving the toggle next to Contacts to ON position.
4. On the next pop-up, select the Merge option.
2. Sign-out from iPhone and Sign-in Back
Sometimes, the problem is due to your Apple ID not being recognized by iCloud.
1. Open Settings > tap on your Apple ID Name > scroll down to bottom of the screen and tap on the Sign out option.
2. When prompted, enter your Apple ID password > On the next pop-up, select/unselect the type of iCloud Data that you want to copy on your device and tap on Sign Out.
3. Sign-in back into your iCloud Account and you should now see all Contacts appearing on your iPhone.
3. Add Email Account to iPhone
The Contacts App on iPhone provides the option to Add iCloud, Gmail and other accounts.
1. Go to Settings > Contacts > Accounts > tap on Add Accounts.
2. On the next screen, select the Account where your Contacts are located.
3. Follow the instructions to Add the selected Account to Contacts App on your iPhone.
4. Re-sync Email Contacts
If your Contacts are being saved to Gmail, Outlook or other email service provides, re-enabling Email Contacts can help in fixing the problem.
1. Go to Settings > Contacts > Accounts > select your Email Account > On the next screen, move the toggle next to Contacts to OFF position.
2. Wait for 30 seconds and move the toggle next to Contacts to ON position and this should bring back Email Contacts to your device.
5. Restore iPhone from Backup
If above steps did not help, the only way to bring back missing Contacts on your device is by Restoring iPhone from a backup.
1. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > select Erase All Content and Settings option.
2. On the next screen, tap on Continue > Enter Lock Screen Passcode > On the Confirmation pop-up, select Erase iPhone option to start the Factory Reset process.
3. Once the Reset process is completed, you will see iPhone starting with “Hello” screen > Slide to right to start the process of setting up your iPhone.
4. Follow next set of onscreen instructions to Set up iPhone, until you reach the “Apps & Data” screen. On this screen, select Restore From iCloud Backup option.
5. When prompted, enter your Apple ID, Password and tap on Next.
6. On the next screen, select the iCloud Backup that you want to Restore your iPhone from.
Once the Restore process is completed, Contacts that are available in the backup file will become av