How to Recover Disappeared Contacts on iPhone After Update

Missing contact details on an iPhone following a phone update can be mind-boggling. This could happen for any number of underlying reasons. But let us dig deeper into the most common ones:

iOS Update Glitches

Any new iOS updates are intended to improve the device's overall performance as they bring in new features, fix bugs, and enhance security measures. However, it is worth mentioning that these updates are complex and sometimes come with problems. Here’s how your contacts may be affected by faults in updates, including those found in iOS 18:

• Incompletely Finished Update: In case of a power failure or network problem during the updating process, chances are high that you won’t complete this process successfully. When you don’t complete updating the whole thing, it can result in data irregularities, including missing contacts.
• Software Faults: Even with well-tried software like iOS 18, sometimes bugs slip. Occasionally, these bugs can mess up your iPhone’s data management functions, such as the contacts application. For instance, a new update might mistakenly modify the structure of the contacts database, leading to a temporary loss of information.
• Compatibility Problems: Newer versions of iOS, such as iOS 18, might not fully support all existing applications like third-party contact lists. This incompatibility will not show some contacts until you update your application to correspond with the new version of iOS.

Sync Issues with iCloud or Other Accounts

Your iPhone heavily depends on cloud services synchronization through iCloud, Google and other email accounts for keeping your contacts current. Any breaks in this synchronization process may cause missed contacts. Here is a more detailed look into how sync issues occur, especially after an upgrade to iOS 18:

1. Challenges with iCloud Sync: The iPhone primarily uses iCloud for backing up and syncing phone book data. If anything is wrong with your account or settings, it can bring problems during synchronization. These common issues can be among them:
2. iCloud Account Sign-In Problems: If you are not properly signed in to iCloud or your Apple ID has issues, your contacts may fail to sync accurately.
3. Sync Conflicts: For instance, modifying a contact on your iPhone and later on Mac before syncing the iPhone will result in conflict that may lead to missing contacts.
4. Issues with Email Account Syncing: Contact synchronization can be done by many users using email accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Exchange. The following problems may arise;
5. Changing Account Credentials: If you change the password or other security settings of your email account and neglect to update these changes on your iPhone it can stop contacts from syncing.
6. Server Problems: Whenever the email service provider’s server experiences downtime or technical difficulties, it tends to momentarily halt the synchronizing process, causing missing contacts on your iPhone.
7. Manual Sync Errors: Sometimes, manually adding or changing accounts leads to sync errors. For example, if you mistakenly disable contact synchronization in the account settings of your iOS device, then all your existing contacts will vanish.

Do not worry if you have updated iOS 18 and lost all iPhone contacts. Several simple solutions can help bring them back in no time. These are a few quick steps that may assist you in recovering disappeared contacts.

Restart Your iPhone

Sometimes, it is just a matter of restarting. Restarting your iDevice fixes minor software faults and rejuvenates the system. This clears temporary storage and may repair any errors that could have occurred while you were updating it so that, potentially, your contacts who seem to have disappeared could be restored. This is how you can do it:

Step 1: Hold the power button until the ‘slide to power off’ appears.

Step 2: Slide to turn off your iPhone;

Step 3: Then once turned off, hold the power button again to turn on.

Check iCloud Contacts Sync

It is always good to ensure that iCloud Contacts Sync is turned on for properly syncing your contacts with Apple’s cloud services. Turning it back on can restore your contacts from iCloud if the sync was interrupted or turned off during the update process. To recover them, make sure your contacts are synced with iCloud:

Step 1: On your iPhone, go to settings.

Step 2: Tap on your name at the top, then tap on iCloud.

Step 3: Ensure that the toggle for Contacts is turned on. If not, turn it on.

Toggle Contacts Off and On

Toggle off Contacts then toggle on again makes iPhone re-sync with iCloud. When your phone’s contact database has been refreshed in this way, it solves any synchronization problems related issues that make all your phone numbers disappear after an update.

Step 1: Go: Settings > [Your Name] >iCloud.

Step 2: Turn off the toggle for Contacts, wait some seconds, and then turn it back on.

If none of these quick fixes worked, try these advanced steps to recover lost contacts after updating iOS 18.

Sign Out and Sign Back Into iCloud

Sign out of iCloud and then sign back in helps refresh your iCloud settings and correct any problems associated with the account that might be causing failed synchronization of contacts. This normally resets the synchronization process, enabling retrieval of missing contacts from iCloud.

Step 1: Go: Settings > [Your Name] > Sign Out.

Step 2: Follow the prompts to sign out; afterward, sign in again with your Apple ID.

Restore Contacts from iCloud Backup.

If there is an iCloud backup, you may recover these lost contacts by restoring them to the current device. One uses an earlier backup to bring back what was lost due to the update making sure you retrieve all data gone through updating.

Step 1: Move to Settings > [Your Name] >iCloud> iCloud Backup.

Step 2: Make sure that you create a recent backup. If your answer to this question is yes, you must reset it by going to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 3: Follow the instructions on your screen for setting up your phone and choose Restore from iCloud Backup.

Check Other Email Accounts

Synchronization of contacts from varied email accounts like Gmail, Yahoo, and Exchange can be done. By checking these accounts, you have verified if all the synchronized contact sources are functioning as expected. In case, during an update, you disturbed the sync settings for these accounts, re-enabling them may restore your lost contacts.

Step 1: Go to Settings > Contacts > Accounts.

Step 2: Verify that contacts are enabled for all the listed email accounts.

If the quick fixes have not yielded much success in returning your lost contacts, you may need a more sophisticated tool like Wondershare Dr.Fone - Data Recovery. With this powerful software, you can recover data directly from your iPhone. If you would like to know how to go about recovering missing contacts through your personal computer, the following steps should be used:

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Step 1: Open Wondershare Dr.Fone - Data Recovery Tool for iOS

Download and install Wondershare Dr.Fone on a computer system. After installation, open Dr.Fone and navigate to Toolbox > Data Recovery to start the tool.

Step 2: Select iOS Device Type

On the next screen, select the iOS option, as data will be retrieved from an iOS device.

Step 3: Proceed with Recovery

From available recovery options, go ahead and Choose Recover Data from an iOS Device.

After that, Dr.Fone will ask you to link your Iphone and computer using a USB cable.

Step 4: Select File Types to Recover

Immediately after your device is detected, you shall see a screen showing different files that can be recovered. This includes selecting those specific file types you may want to recover, like photos, contacts, messages, and notes, among others. Click Start Scan to begin the recovery process.

Step 5: Let Dr.Fone Scan for Recoverable Data

Dr.Fone will go ahead and scan your iOS device in search of recoverable data. Wait for a while until the scanning process is done. After scanning, you will have an advanced view of all possible files that can be restored.

Step 6: Preview Data and Proceed to Restore

Use filter options to show all existing or deleted information. You can also preview and select the particular data you want to recover. Click Restore to Device to continue with the retrieval procedure.

Step 7: Select Device to Restore

A box will pop up requesting you choose the iDevice on which you wish to restore the information on it from other devices. Go through all the available details then click Continue to download it into this specified handset.

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Losing your contacts after updating your iPhone can be frustrating, especially with significant updates such as iOS 18. Nevertheless, there are several ways to get them back. If you try basic solutions such as restarting the iPhone or even use advanced methods like Dr.Fone - Data Recovery, then chances are high that you could have your contacts restored. Always ensure that all data is backed up before any update to prevent future issues. With the reliable data recovery capabilities of Wondershare Dr.Fone, you can effortlessly recover lost contacts and other important data. You can ensure your iPhone functions smoothly even after major updates like iOS 18.

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