Contact names suddenly stopped showing when checking texts on my Apple Watch.

[Annie_M]

Yesterday, I suddenly became aware that my contact names were not showing on texts on my Apple Watch. Instead, of names, I was seeing phone numbers. I was very busy, so I didn't bother to deal with it. This morning, I remembered the issue while driving to work. I realized that I was at least getting the texts, but I am bothered when something doesn't work properly.

So once I got to the office, and settled, I searched google (don't hate me) for known issues. And, of course, there were several hits... some over four years old. There were all sorts of things to do, none of which I really wanted to try at this point, so I decided to try powering off my watch for a couple of minutes, and then turning it back on.

And that seemed to do the trick. Everything is working properly, and that sense of bother is gone. My whole point in sharing this is that sometimes the best thing to start with is powering off the device. I considered a forced restart, and I'll never know if that would have done the trick as well.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Thanks Annie. I’ve not experienced this issue yet, but It’s good to know a simple reboot solves it. Thanks again.

 

[Ledsteplin]

"Have you tried turning it off, then back on?" seems to still be a relevant troubleshooting action for many things. Strange, but works. Glad it's working now.

 

[doogald]

If restarting doesn't work, the standard way to do this is in the Watch app on the iPhone, tap General, then Reset, then Reset Sync Data, which (as it says in the app) erases all contact and calendar data from the watch and generates a re-sync from the phone of those data. (Unlike other settings in the Watch app, there is not a similar option in the Settings app on the Watch itself.)

This used to happen to me every once in a while a long time ago when I first got a watch, and that reset sync data always fixed it, but I haven't had this issue in a long time.

 

[Lee_Bo]

If restarting doesn't work, the standard way to do this is in the Watch app on the iPhone, tap General, then Reset, then Reset Sync Data, which (as it says in the app) erases all contact and calendar data from the watch and generates a re-sync from the phone of those data. (Unlike other settings in the Watch app, there is not a similar option in the Settings app on the Watch itself.)

This used to happen to me every once in a while a long time ago when I first got a watch, and that reset sync data always fixed it, but I haven't had this issue in a long time.

I’ve done this myself a couple times in the past and has always worked.

 

[Up_And_Away]

So once I got to the office, and settled, I searched google (don't hate me).

Funny Annie, you won’t have to wear the scarlet G . I use Google for work on my work Windows PC. But I admit occasionally hitting the Google web page to search. Their search is very good. And I consider myself fairly hardcore ‘No Google’.

 

[pr1nce]

Glad it’s working for you Annie. I often start with a simple turning the device off and back on or a hard reboot for my Apple Watch or iPhone. Always seems to work.