Fix WhatsApp Contacts Not Showing Issue: 6 Methods

My WhatsApp contacts are not showing suddenly. Can anybody help?

There can be several reasons why your contacts are not showing on WhatsApp - no matter what the reason is, it's frustrating for everyone when the communication is halted.

But worry less, we have covered you with the easiest solutions in this guide to help you fix saved contacts not showing on WhatsApp. Let's find out!

Part 1: How to Fix Contacts Not Showing on WhatsApp?

Whether there is a permission grant problem, or the contacts disappear from WhatsApp after the app is moved from one device to another, we have gathered solutions for every cause. Below mentioned are some common and perfectly working solutions for this issue.

Method 1: Save Contact Number in Full International Format

Sometimes your international or even national contacts do not appear in WhatsApp contacts because of incomplete details such as country codes. Make sure to save all the contacts with their respective country codes (in an international format) to make them appear on WhatsApp.

Note: Always start with a + sign to save the contacts in an international format.

Method 2: Choose "Show All Contacts" in Settings

Mostly, the contacts appearing on your phone at the moment will also appear in the WhatsApp contacts. Therefore, the strategy is to show all the contacts in the phonebook to make them appear in the WhatsApp contacts. Here's how to do it:

• Step1: Go to Contacts on your phone and open the Settings by tapping the three vertical dots button.
• Step2:Tap on Display Preferences and then choose All Contacts.

Method 3: Update to the Latest WhatsApp Version

Any bug, glitch, or even having the older version installed on your device can cause the "WhatsApp contact not showing up" problem. Therefore, update WhatsApp regularly to avoid these unusual circumstances and keep your communication seamless. Here's a step-by-step guide to updating WhatsApp:

• Step1: Launch the Google Play Store on your Android device or App store for iOS devices.
• Step2: Tap on your picture from the top-right corner and choose "Manage apps and device."
• Step3: Tap on Updates Available.

• Step4: Find WhatsApp in the list and press the "Update" button.

Method 4: Allow WhatsApp Contacts Permission

One of the most common problems that Android and iOS users face is the permission grant. If your contacts disappeared from WhatsApp, ensure that you have permitted the app to access your contacts. Otherwise, the contacts will not appear on WhatsApp, and you'll not be able to communicate with anyone.

For Android:

• Step1: Go to Settings and then Applications. Find WhatsApp from the list.
• Step2: Tap on Permissions and toggle to turn ON the contact's permission.

For iPhone

• Step1: Go to Settings>WhatsApp.
• Step2: Toggle to Turn ON the contact's permission.

Method 5: Refresh WhatsApp Contacts

Due to any battery saver settings or power-saving mode, WhatsApp might not sync contacts on its own. Therefore, you'll need to manually refresh the contact list on your Android and iOS devices to show all the contacts in the app.

For Android

• Step1: Open WhatsApp and tap on New Chat.
• Step2: Press the three-dot button from the top-right corner and tap on Refresh.

For iPhone

On iPhone, there is no refresh contacts button as in the Android phones. You can toggle to Turn OFF and ON the contact's permission to refresh the list.

• Step1: Go to Settings>WhatsApp.
• Step2: Toggle to turn OFF and then turn ON the contact's permission again to refresh the list.

Method 6: Uninstall & Reinstall WhatsApp again

If all the above-mentioned methods fail to work, the last option to uninstall the WhatsApp from your phone and reinstall it. Make sure to reinstall the latest version of WhatsApp to avoid bugs and glitches.

• Step1: Go to Settings>Applications and find WhatsApp from the list. Tap on Uninstall to remove WhatsApp.

• Step2: Now, go to Play Store, reinstall WhatsApp's latest version, and see if the problem is resolved.

Before uninstall WhatsApp, we'd suggest to backup your WhatsApp data first to avoid possible data loss.

Backing up the data to cloud storage is a hectic process and not practical for everyone due to limited storage and the need for an internet connection. We recommend using Wondershare MobileTrans instead.

Want to know how to Backup WhatsApp data via Wondershare MobileTrans? Here's a simple step-by-step guide:

MobileTrans - WhatsApp Transfer

Transfer WhatsApp from phone to phone With a few Clicks!

• • Transfer WhatsApp chat history, images, videos, emojis, and attachments from phone to phone.
• • Support transferring from Android to iPhone, iPhone to Android, Android to Android and iPhone to iPhone.
• • Backup WhatsApp to computer and restore to another device when you need.
• • Support other social apps including WhatsApp Business, Viber, Line, Wechat and Kik.

Try it Free Try it Free

4,085,556 people have downloaded it

4.5/5 Excellent

• Step1: Launch Wondershare MobileTrans and connect the device from which you want to back up the WhatsApp data to the PC.

• Step2: Tap on the Backup and Restore tab and then choose the Backup option from App Backup and Restore

• Step3: Click on WhatsApp from the next window.

• Step4: Select the data type to backup and click on Start to initiate the data backup process.

Never lose your valuable data files, and chat history or halt your communication with your friends and family again— backup WhatsApp chats and media timely via Wondershare MobileTrans!

Bonus: Best WhatsApp Manage Tool

WA Deleted Messages is an innovative app that allows you to log in to multiple WhatsApp accounts on the same device and see deleted messages. With this app, you can easily keep track of all your conversations and never miss an important message again.

• • Log in to multiple WhatsApp accounts on the same device.
• • See deleted messages that were previously invisible.
• • No need for root access or any special permissions.
• • Easy-to-use interface with simple navigation.

safe & secure

Part 2: FAQs

1. Why are WhatsApp contacts not showing on Samsung phones?

There can be several reasons for WhatsApp contacts not showing on Samsung, such as outdated app version, transfer of WhatsApp from another device, bugs or glitches, permission not granted, and many more.

2. Why is the new contact not showing on WhatsApp?

Due to poor internet connection or power-saving mode on the device, WhatsApp will not be able to sync the contacts automatically. Thus, try refreshing the contacts manually to solve this issue after saving new contact.

3. How to make contacts visible on WhatsApp?

You can try updating WhatsApp, allowing permission from the settings, uninstall/reinstall the WhatsApp, or manually refresh the contacts to make them visible on WhatsApp.

4. How to fix dual WhatsApp contacts not showing?

If your dual WhatsApp is not showing contacts, try this method.

Go to Settings>Advanced Features>Dual Messenger and toggle to turn off the "Use separate contact list" option.

5. Why is one contact not showing on WhatsApp?

Sometimes, this happens when a particular contact is not saved in the correct format or with the respective country code. Also, show all contacts from settings to solve this issue.

Conclusion

WhatsApp contacts not showing up is a problem for many users and has halted the communication between friends and families. Users will no longer be able to contact their loved ones. Worry not! You can try the above-mentioned solutions to solve this problem in no time. Additionally, if you don't ever want to lose valuable WhatsApp data, use Wondershare MobileTrans to back up!

Free Download Free Download

safe & secure

How to Use WhatsApp on Two Phones with Same Number

WhatsApp Call Not Showing on Screen: Why and How to Fix It

Not Receiving WhatsApp Messages Unless I Open the App

[2024] Who Can See My WhatsApp Status

Axel Nash

staff Editor