iPhone contacts with 'XSHAREDPHOTODISPLAYPREFALWAYSASK

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iPhone contacts with 'XSHAREDPHOTODISPLAYPREFALWAYSASK

Hi - quite a number of my contacts have "XSHAREDPHOTODISPLAYPREFALWAYSASK" appended to their phone number. I've searched here and on Google and not found a way of removing that other than manually.

Others who have posted have said they don't know what caused it. I might have some idea: my wife and I have two separate accounts. Normally we don't have each other's account "enabled" in contacts. Rather than having all of her contacts in my address book, I'd copied across 50 or so from her account.

When I've enabled her account to check those numbers today, all the same contacts on her account do NOT have the suffix, but all of mine do. Other numbers in my account are not affected.

Any ideas on how to fix - other than manually?

Posted on Nov 12, 2025 1:15 AM

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Answer 1

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Sams__dad Author

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Nov 12, 2025 1:30 AM in response to Sams__dad

Update: I figured out a fix just after posting.

1) Search for X-SHARED-PHOTO-DISPLAY-PREF:ALWAYS_ASK in your contacts, and then "select all"

2) Go to File > Export > Export as vCard and save to your desktop

3) Find the exported file on your desktop, right click and select "Open with Text Edit"

4) Go to Edit > Find and replace

5) Enter X-SHARED-PHOTO-DISPLAY-PREF:ALWAYS_ASK in the "find", and leave the replace option blank

6) Save the file

7) Go back to contacts and delete contacts you just exported (repeat Step 1 if they are not still sitting there highlighted)

8) Go to File > Import and select the vCard file you've just edited.

9) Delete the vCard file from you desktop

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