Contacts not working properly with Phone and WhatsApp

Question

Level 1

4 points

Contacts not working properly with Phone and WhatsApp

Contacts in iOS26 was continually replicating individual contacts (got up to 127k records). I stopped syncing it and re-enabled - now +30k records with many contacts still carrying sometime 10x dupes.

Seems to have impacted the Phone app and now WhatsApp not displaying names. Phone running super slow at times.

I have tried to address using Support guidance Settings>Privacy and Security>Contacts to change access but it the phone freezes when I try to enter this option.

Not sure what to do. I can't even back up WhatsApp - tried and it keeps failing.

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Posted on Dec 8, 2025 9:17 AM

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Answer 1

Zram Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 8, 2025 10:23 AM in response to LD150

thanks! WhatsApp and Phone now have direct references to contacts.

The Duplicate contact functionality hasn't triggered though - even though there are many duplicated on visual scroll through the icloud contacts. Any thoughts on how to address that?

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Answer 2

LD150

Level 10

100,035 points

Dec 8, 2025 9:41 AM in response to Zram

In Settings, Apps, Contacts, Contacts accounts

Tap on each contact and on each one turn off Contacts. When asked, tap Delete from iphone.

Restart the phone

Back in accounts, choose one account only which contains your main contacts and turn it back on.

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