iOS 15: Contacts Apps not returning contacts in search?

[MikeElmendorf]

Since upgrading to iOS 15 (and iPadOS 15 too), typing in a contact in the Contacts app is not returning quite a few of them. If I scroll, the contact is there--and I am also (usually) getting a result in universal search, too. Most of my contacts are in Google.

Anyone else seeing this? Seems pretty clearly to be an iOS 15 bug.

Thanks.

 

[Annie_M]

I just checked, and I'm not seeing this.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Like Annie, I’m not seeing the behavior you’re describing. Searching for contacts within the Contacts app works perfectly.

 

[Lee_Bo]

Ditto to the above. No issues here.

However, after an iOS update I always reboot my phone and watch a couple of times. It’s just something I’ve always done. Have you rebooted once or twice in a row? Can’t hurt.

 

[MikeElmendorf]

Hi -

I have rebooted and toggled contacts on and off for the account. After that, it works at first and then reverts to this weird behavior.

I called Apple Support. After getting elevated and showing them the behavior on a screen share, a senior advisor seemed to know what I was talking about and suggested toggling contacts on for iCloud (I have none there--all in Google or Exchange--so it is turned off). I tried that and, for whatever reason, it's behaving normally again.

Go figure.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Hi -

I have rebooted and toggled contacts on and off for the account. After that, it works at first and then reverts to this weird behavior.

I called Apple Support. After getting elevated and showing them the behavior on a screen share, a senior advisor seemed to know what I was talking about and suggested toggling contacts on for iCloud (I have none there--all in Google or Exchange--so it is turned off). I tried that and, for whatever reason, it's behaving normally again.

Go figure.

At least it’s working again and thank you for the update, sir…

 

[gnirkatto]

Hi -

I have rebooted and toggled contacts on and off for the account. After that, it works at first and then reverts to this weird behavior.

I called Apple Support. After getting elevated and showing them the behavior on a screen share, a senior advisor seemed to know what I was talking about and suggested toggling contacts on for iCloud (I have none there--all in Google or Exchange--so it is turned off). I tried that and, for whatever reason, it's behaving normally again.

Go figure.

I have to say, this happened to me several times with all kinds of iCloud based services.
Sometimes, iCloud needs to be kicked b..t somewhere else, to make it work again in other areas.
Recently, an Apple note that I created on the iPhone, did not appear on the Mac, no matter what I did. Only after logging in to iCloud in a browser, and then modifying something in Notes there, it suddenly appeared on the Mac.
This is quite frustrating. I have to say, I'm also using OneDrive, and never experienced such behavior there.
In Apple's defense, iCloud does much more than OneDrive, in terms of different data types and connected apps. However, these problems should not happen frequently.

 

[gnirkatto]

I just experienced the same problem as the OP, with all my contacts being iCloud.
Searched for all kinds of keywords - no return of anything.
Then, after ~50 attempts w/ success, search suddenly returned what I was trying to find.
Then, minutes later, again, nothing. No matter what I entered (first/last name, job, note, address, company etc.) nothing was returned by the search.
I logged in to icloud and modified one contact to kick icloud - no success.
I finally rebooted my phone, and it decided to work again.

The official Apple feedback site does not allow for the contacts app to be selected (seriously???!!!???).

Does anyone else know how to report this bug back to Apple - without forever having to perform pointless exercises with their support over the phone first?

Finding contacts ist maybe THE core function of a PHONE. An it does not work properly under iOS15.

 

[gnirkatto]

...and, on hour later, contacts search has again stopped working. Getting no results at all.

 

[gnirkatto]

I disabled iCloud for contacts.
"Delete contacts from phone?" ==> yes
Wait for all contacts to be gone from phone.
Enabled iCloud for contacts.
Waited 3 minutes for the contacts DB on the phone to be populated again.

Search has been working since then. Hopefully this lasts.

 

[imwjl]

Not a problem on my phone, not showing up in the many devices I have in MDM, nor are employees bringing this up. I'm not saying this isn't a problem but our count of devices in MDM and staff support usually have me aware of common issues. I'll push more updates soon and try to remember reporting if the issue shows up.

If OP contacts are in the cloud, I'd consider wiping the profile and re-add.

 

[gnirkatto]

In my case, it happened always after switching from a 12 mini to a 13 and back (for other reasons, I had to do this 3 or 4 times).
It is reproducible. I used the direct transfer/setup from one phone to the other, and/or restores from the iCloud backup of the respective other phone.
It ALWAYS happened.
And after many unsuccessful other attempts to fix it, the iCloud off/on was the first procedure that always fixed it.
Seems important: after enabling iCloud again, don't touch the phone for a couple of minutes, to be sure the download of contacts is completed. Once, I started playing with contacts too early, during download, and the problem did not go away.

 

[gnirkatto]

Well, after completing my switch from the 12m to the 13m, I had to follow my own process, as outlined above, to make contacts search work again. Initially, it got fixed.
However, after one night (I always put my phone in flight & power savings mode over night), when turning everything back on, contact search no longer worked.
I had to run through the iCloud off/on - procedure again, to make it work.

So, this is clearly an iOS bug - as even in an Apple only environment (all contacts and everything else in iCloud) it does not work properly on an iPhone with iOS15.