Problem with iPhone Phone Numbers

While it may have something to do with the beta software, that cannot be discussed here on the public forum. It is a violation of the Terms of Use and the NDA that you signed to participate in the beta. However, check your region settings on the iPad, and if that is correct, then report the issue with the feedback app you received as part of the beta program.

agreed - I wasn't trying to discuss beta issues, I was merely saying that my iPad OS "might' be a factor. The issue is with my iPhone (that is running IOS 12.3.1).

Thanks for the suggestion, but I checked and the country code for my iPhone (and my iPad, for that matter) is set to United States.

Check to see if you have Dial Assist turned on in Settings>Phone. You can also log into iCloud on a computer browser and check settings. Go to Contacts, at the bottom of the page, click on the little gear, then tap Preferences. Check the Format area. Layout United States and Automatically Format Phone Numbers checked.

If all of that is formatted correctly, then it is a possibility the iPad has something to do with it, and you would be encouraged to report that through the feedback app.

Thanks for the advice. Dial Assist was turned on, but turning it off did not change anything.

I also checked the Contacts preferences when logging onto iCloud, and the address layout was set to United States and the option to automatically format phone numbers was enabled.

I will pursue other avenues.

I do appreciate it...

You can try turning contacts off for iCloud, letting them erase off the phone and then power the phone off and back on. After that, turn Contacts back on again.

When you look at the number in iCloud on the computer, did they look correct?

Excellent suggestion (thanks). Regrettably, that didn’t change anything. Also, the formatting of the phone numbers on both iCloud and my Mac appear fine. However, the formatting of the numbers on my Apple Watch are messed up the same as my iPhone (my watch is not w/ GPS, so it’s paired with my iPhone).

I even noticed that the first 2/3 digits of the phone number (and the total # of digits) determine what first numbers get surrounded by parenthesis. Most of the time, when I enter a number, the first two digits get them. However, if I start with 800 or 180, then the first three digits get the parenthesis (as long as the total # of digits is 3, 4, 5, 9, or 10 [and the number is formatted as (800) 5551 212]).

i think my next steps are to go to a local Genius Bar, then (if that doesn’t work) pay for a call to AppleCare. Ah well...

Thanks to all that provided thoughts and suggestions.

Sorry that didn't work. Strange since all of your devices are set to the correct region. I would hate to recommend a restore, but that is the next step in troubleshooting. Up to you if you wish to try it. Start with a restore from backup, if that does not get it, restore to factory, set up as new phone. Then log into iCloud and turn on Contacts and see how they look. If you live close to an Apple Store, you can make an appointment and go in for help too.

Yes, I had updated my iPhone and my iPad. I figure the update of the iOS would have been similar to a restore, which refreshed the iOS. I suspect that is what did it. You would have gotten there had you gone that restore route I mentioned in my last post, but I'm glad you didn't have to and deal with restoring content and hoping nothing got lost. Glad it is all fine now.

FYI, Apple just released 12.4. When I installed it, the problem went away!

If you are running the beta, you are in the wrong forum. Use the feedback app Apple provides. We can’t discuss issues with beta software in the public forums.