ED#168 : How To Fix The Apple iCloud Bug (Missing Contacts)

Ever since iOS 7 was released, there have been instances when iPhone users would suddenly lose all of their contacts. It can happen right after upgrading to iOS 7, or it can happen right out of the blue. Here are some of users who experienced the problem :

Ben Dyer - "I upgraded to iOS 7 yesterday. Today, all my contacts suddenly vanished. They were working in iOS 7 this morning, but have since disappeared.

I'm not syncing contacts with an external system (Exchange, iCloud, Google, etc.). All of the contacts were on my phone only. They are still in my computer's Address Book, but when I sync to the phone and check the Contacts box under "Replace Information on This Phone," no contacts show up on the phone. Phone favorites and text messages still exist, but as numbers only."

isa.alc - "I updated my iPhone 4S to iOS7 and all my contacts went missing. They're still in my computer's addressbook but I can't recover them neither via iTunes nor iCloud. Is anyone else having this problem? Help me please."

Xshade8 - "ok so i have a 4s with ios 7b2 and about a day ago all my contacts went missing but they came back 15 minutes later new they are gone again and wont come back"

blueman67 - "Since updating to iOS7, contacts on my iPhone 5 seem to be disappearing then reappearing a few minutes later. This has happened a few times already, but hasn't happened on my iPad yet. Anyone else having this problem? I first noticed it in iMessage because the names were replaced by phone numbers. Looked in my contacts and half of my contacts weren't there. After a few minutes they came back all of the sudden. Anyone else seeing this?"

elmariachi304 - "Folks, I've had an iphone for 5 years now and have NEVER experienced such a buggy OS update as iOS7. Reason being, my contacts keep dissapearing! This is a known issue, and I've posted about it here before. Yes, you can wait and they reappear on their own or manually turn Contacts on and off in the Mail, Contacts and Calendar settings."

There are many more, but you get the idea - the numbers remains but the contact details mysteriously disappear. Sometimes, they reappear before disappearing, giving you the creepy feeling that there might really be a ghost in your iPhone. Some users, like me (guilty as charged!), even assumed that their children might have wiped out the contact list while playing with their iPhones...

However, the truth is rather more mundane but no less troubling - there is an iCloud bug that is randomly turning off iCloud syncing and backups. The good news is - your contact information are SAFE and the solution is simple. Let's take a look.

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How Do We Fix This Problem?

1. Go to Settings, and scroll down until you see the iCloud option. Click on it.

2. In the iCloud screen, you will find that iCloud syncing has been disabled. Turn on Contacts and whatever else you require.

Step 1 - Go to Settings -> iCloud	Step 2 - Enable iCloud syncing for Contacts

Just this simple step will restore your contact information. However, please note that it will take time for iCloud to restore your contact information. Don't panic if your contacts don't reappear in a few minutes, or they arrive in piecemeal fashion. Have a cup of tea and relax!

The following steps are only necessary if you opted to use iCloud Backup. If you did not opt to use iCloud Backup, then you can ignore the next steps.

3. Scroll down the iCloud screen and click on Storage & Backup. You will notice that iCloud Backup has been disabled as well.

4. Re-enable iCloud Backup.

Step 3 - Scroll down and click on Storage & Backup	Step 4 - Enable iCloud Backup

As you can see, the solution is extremely simple to fix. The problem is you may have to repeat it whenever the bug strikes. I have personally experienced it twice in the last 2 months.

It's possible that upgrading to iOS 7.1 may solve this, but then again, it may not. In any case, now you know how to fix it. Share this tip with your family and friends!

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Credit

We would like to credit Jason Wong for figuring it out!

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