iPad contacts showing as numbers

Hi,

So, I have an iPhone (12) and an iPad Pro. Both running iOS 15.6.1. Recently, out of the blue, the messages app on the iPad has started showing just phone numbers for a lot of my contacts, instead of names.


Looking at the contacts on the iPad, I see the phone numbers suddenly show up with no spaces or formatting in the numbers.

e.g, on my phone, I have John Doe, and his number is (123) 456-7890.

on the iPad, the same contact shows a number of 1234567890.


Any ideas what’s going on??

Thanks,

Dirk

iPad Pro 11-inch Wi-Fi, Cellular

Posted on Sep 6, 2022 10:25 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 10, 2022 9:14 AM

Hi dirkfromabbotsford,


Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! The first steps we'd recommend is ensuing your Contacts are syncing between devices by following the steps listed in the article below:


If your iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders won’t sync


"Check your app settings

If you use multiple groups or accounts in the Contacts or Calendars app, make sure that your iCloud Contacts and Calendars are set to appear:

  • Open the Contacts app and tap Groups in the upper-left corner. Make sure that All iCloud is selected.
  • Open the Calendar app and tap the Calendars tab. Make sure that all iCloud calendars are selected. 

Change how often your calendars update: 

  1. Tap Settings, then tap Calendar.
  2. Tap Sync.
  3. If All Events is selected, choose a specific timeframe instead, like Events 1 Month Back. If a specific timeframe is selected, choose All Events instead. 
  4. Return to your Home Screen. 
  5. Wait a few minutes, then open the Calendar app. Tap the Calendars tab, and swipe down to refresh.

Since the iCloud Birthdays calendar updates daily, changes to birthdays might not appear in the Calendars app until the next day.

Set iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders as your default

If your contacts, calendars, and reminders are in iCloud, then iCloud automatically updates your information. If your information is in a third-party account, like Google or Yahoo, you can change your default account to iCloud. Changing your default account to iCloud won't move your existing information from a third-party service to iCloud.

Contacts

To see which account your contacts are in:

  1. Open the Contacts app and tap Groups in the upper-left corner.
  2. Deselect the All [account] option for any third-party account, like Gmail or Yahoo.
  3. Make sure All iCloud is selected.
  4. Tap Done to see your list of contacts. If you don't see the contact you're looking for, it's stored in another account.
  5. If you have a copy of your contacts from a third-party service in vCard format version 3.0 or later, you can import the contacts into iCloud.

Set iCloud as the default account for your contacts:

  1. Tap Settings, then Contacts.
  2. Tap Default Account.
  3. Select iCloud."


If you need further help, contact Apple Support.


Have a great day.


Similar questions

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 10, 2022 9:14 AM in response to dirkfromabbotsford

Hi dirkfromabbotsford,


Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! The first steps we'd recommend is ensuing your Contacts are syncing between devices by following the steps listed in the article below:


If your iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders won’t sync


"Check your app settings

If you use multiple groups or accounts in the Contacts or Calendars app, make sure that your iCloud Contacts and Calendars are set to appear:

  • Open the Contacts app and tap Groups in the upper-left corner. Make sure that All iCloud is selected.
  • Open the Calendar app and tap the Calendars tab. Make sure that all iCloud calendars are selected. 

Change how often your calendars update: 

  1. Tap Settings, then tap Calendar.
  2. Tap Sync.
  3. If All Events is selected, choose a specific timeframe instead, like Events 1 Month Back. If a specific timeframe is selected, choose All Events instead. 
  4. Return to your Home Screen. 
  5. Wait a few minutes, then open the Calendar app. Tap the Calendars tab, and swipe down to refresh.

Since the iCloud Birthdays calendar updates daily, changes to birthdays might not appear in the Calendars app until the next day.

Set iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders as your default

If your contacts, calendars, and reminders are in iCloud, then iCloud automatically updates your information. If your information is in a third-party account, like Google or Yahoo, you can change your default account to iCloud. Changing your default account to iCloud won't move your existing information from a third-party service to iCloud.

Contacts

To see which account your contacts are in:

  1. Open the Contacts app and tap Groups in the upper-left corner.
  2. Deselect the All [account] option for any third-party account, like Gmail or Yahoo.
  3. Make sure All iCloud is selected.
  4. Tap Done to see your list of contacts. If you don't see the contact you're looking for, it's stored in another account.
  5. If you have a copy of your contacts from a third-party service in vCard format version 3.0 or later, you can import the contacts into iCloud.

Set iCloud as the default account for your contacts:

  1. Tap Settings, then Contacts.
  2. Tap Default Account.
  3. Select iCloud."


If you need further help, contact Apple Support.


Have a great day.


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iPad contacts showing as numbers

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