How to fix disappearing contacts on an Android phone



The Android platform makes contacts backup, retrieval and management very easy. I’d previously discussed how to recover your accidentally deleted Android contacts (see https://www.hovatek.com/blog/how-to-backup-restore-and-recover-accidentally-deleted-or-lost-android-contacts/) but this case is different because your contacts keep vanishing once saved or recovered to your phone.

Why does my phone keep deleting my contacts on Android

When it comes to missing Android contacts, your first line of action should be to check your contacts display settings to be sure you haven’t accidentally hidden your contacts (Contacts > Menu button > Contacts to display ). This case is however different as your contacts simply vanish despite all attempts at saving them to your phone.

Common causes of this issue are:

  • Buggy ROM: The ROM on the phone might be corrupted or buggy
  • Google Contacts Sync problems:  Google Contacts Sync might have crashed
  • Corrupted phone storage: The phone storage might be corrupted
  • Interfering contacts management application: An installed contacts management app might be misbehaving or overriding your settings
  • Storage limit exceeded: If you exhaust the maximum number of contacts which your SIM card or phone can take then you won’t be able to add more contacts

How do I stop my Android contacts from disappearing?

If you just can’t get your contacts to remain on your Android phone then consider the following fixes:



17 thoughts on “How to fix disappearing contacts on an Android phone”

  1. These are not “fixes”
    Clearly, Google is reproduce this problem. If you don’t want to sync your contacts with google, then google restrictively don’t let user to manage (read or save) his/her own PERSONAL contacts.vcf file from or to the device.
    We need a hack to fix that. If needed to erase everything (I mean every setting, every app & app-settings) to get back contacts then this is not a fix.
    Warnings:
    1. “install Contacts Sync Fix” This expose personal contacts/calls/messages etc. to google.
    2. “Ensure the contact(s) had been properly saved or synced (to or from Google servers) before exiting the save process”. This expose personal contacts/calls/messages etc. to google.
    3. “Uninstall all third party contacts management applications and call blockers”. This way you loose your liked apps & apps-settings.
    4. “Format the phone storage under Settings > Storage > Erase phone storage”. This way you loose everything in the storage.
    5. “Do a factory reset in recovery mode”. This way you loose EVERYTHING.
    6. Re-flash the stock ROM”. This way you loose EVERYTHING.

  2. Why update when it causes most of my contact names to disappear this is stupid and time consuming not happy too busy to resolve, stop interfering with my phone, very very angry

    1. It’s well known that when you buy an Android phone you DO NOT own the device and you have not access to your own contacts and personal data, while google have total access to everything to enforced restrict user access.
      (The same shit with Apple-iPhone.)
      Google (or Apple) could just simply encrypt contacts file and let user save wherever we want but… They don’t want because with this way they will not have access to our contacts any more.

  3. i also have the same problem with my itel S32. apparently the contacts are synced to my google acocunt. i keep rebooting the phone but still nothing. the contacts are not showing on the conatct list and on whatsaap.

    1. Go to the Contacts application and launch it. Press the Menu button. Select Contacts to display.
      Tell me what it’s currently set to

      1. this contacts disappearance is always with itel Android. we users sometimes become frustrated. I did every possible setting on my phone but it happens regularly. I used other Android phones before but did not face this kind problem

  4. I have a Itel 1407 handset,the phone is not showing contacts,i have flashed but the problem is still the same.not showing contacts,any suggestion or lead please

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