[Simple+ Advanced FIxes] How to Solve iPhone Contacts Disappeared

by Jenefey Aaron   Updated on 2021-01-08 / Update for  iPhone XS

If you lost contacts on iPhone, you can't reach out to these contacts unless you have their data stored somewhere else. iPhone contacts disappeared is a big issue for the users of iPhone 12/11/XS/XS Max/XR

Fortunately, though contacts gone from iPhone, there are some ways to get them back. Let's check out the available methods below to restore lost contacts in iPhone. Of course, a professional software like Tenorshare UltData always helps a lot.

Part 1. Why Did My iPhone Contacts Disappeared?

  • 1. You might probably update or downgrade iOS system, which leads to iCloud contacts not syncing.
  • 2. Wrongly operate the iCloud settings would also cause iPhone contacts disappeared.
  • 3. iOS glitches, especially your iPhone randomly restarts.
  • 4. If you once jailbreak your iPhone, then some settings could be reset or data in your iPhone could be lost.

Part 2. 4 Basic Ways to Solve iPhone Contacts Disappeared

My contacts disappeared from my iPhone, how to bring them back? These are the most basic methods that you can apply to get back the disappeared contacts on your iPhone 12/11/XS Max or any other variant for that matter. These do not require you to install any app on your device and can be done using the default options on the device.

Way 1. Force Restart Your iPhone

The first thing you will want to do when you find your contacts missing is force restart your iPhone. Sometimes the contacts may have not properly loaded and so you don't see anything in the contacts list on your device.

Press and release the 'Volume Up' button quickly. Do the same with 'Volume Down' button. Hold power button until Apple logo does not appear on the screen.

  • On an iPhone 8 or later: Press, then quickly release the Volume Up and Volume Down button. Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
  • On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
  • On an iPhone 6s and earlier: Press and hold the Home and Power/Sleep buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo.

    iphone contacts missing

Way 2. Sign Out of iCloud and Sign Back In

It could be that iCloud did not sync your contacts properly when you logged-in to your iCloud account from your iPhone. To resolve the issue, what you can do is sign out of the iCloud account and sign back in on your device.

sign out of icloud

On your iPhone XR or any other model for that matter, open the Settings app and tap on your name. Then, tap on the option that says Sign Out and you will be logged-out of your iCloud account. Then, log back in using your login credentials.

Way 3. Turn Contacts On and Off in iCloud

Sometimes toggling the contacts option in your iCloud settings does the trick and gets all the disappeared contacts back on your device. It's easy to do that and the following shows how to do it.

turn off and on contacts in icloud

On your iPhone, open the Settings app and tap on your name. Tap on the option that says iCloud and turn the toggle for Contacts to the OFF position. Wait for about half a minute and then turn the toggle back to the ON position.

Way 4. Choose All on My iPhone from Contacts Groups Settings

If you find only some of your iPhone contacts missing and not all of them, it could be that the contacts not shown in the list are turned off by the Contacts app. The app lets you select what contacts you wish to see and maybe the option that shows all the contacts is not enabled. The following shows how to fix the option and enable all the contacts.

contact-show-all-on-my-iphone

Open the Contacts app on your iPhone and tap on Groups at the top-left corner. Select All iPhone on the following screen and all the contacts you have ever saved on your iPhone will be displayed in the contacts list.

Part 3. Advanced Ways to Get Back iPhone Contacts Disappeared

If the above methods don't help you bring your disappeared contacts back on your device, you have apparently deleted the contacts and there is no way you can bring them back - unless you use a third-party app to do it.

Meet Tenorshare UltData, a software that allows you to recover many types of data including contacts on iOS devices. With this software, you can recover your lost contacts and many other files on your iPhone without much hassle. You only need to click on a few options and the lost content will be back on your device.

Method 1. Recover Lost Contacts on iPhone without Backup

If you don't have access to a backup of your iPhone, you can use this method to recover your contacts as this doesn't require you to load a backup.

  • Plug-in your iPhone to your computer and launch the software. Click on Recover from iOS Device in the software.

    my iphone lost all contacts
  • Choose Contacts on the following screen and click on Start Scan.

    my contacts disappeared
  • Preview your contacts, click on the ones you want to restore, and hit Recover. The selected contacts will be restored on your iPhone XS Max or any other device you may be using.

    my contacts have disappeared

Method 2. Selectively Restore Contacts on iPhone from iTunes Backup

In case an iTunes backup is available, you can extract your contacts from it when some contacts disappeared from iPhone. The following shows how to do it.

  • Launch the software on your computer and click on Recover from iTunes Backup File. Choose a backup and click on Start Scan.

    all my contacts disappeared iphone
  • Select the contacts you want to recover and click on Recover. Your selected contacts will be recovered from your iTunes backup file.

    my contacts have disappeared

Method 3. Recover Missing iPhone Contacts from iCloud

If you have synced your contacts stored to iCloud, you can download your contacts from it without having to restore your iPhone. The below shows how to do it.

  • Open the software and click on Recover from iCloud Backup File. Sign-in to your iCloud account.

    iphone contacts missing
  • Tickmark Contacts on the following screen and click on Next.

    lost contacts in iphone
  • Preview your contacts, choose the ones you want to recover, and hit Recover. The selected contacts will be extracted and downloaded from your iCloud backup file.

    my contacts disappeared from my iphone

Conclusion

There could be several reasons as to why iPhone contacts disappeared but the methods we have given above should help you bring your lost contacts back on your iOS devices. If you don't want the hassle of resetting the device, UltData is what you should be using.