Fix: Contacts not backing up to iCloud

Out of all the things we keep safe in the cloud, contacts are probably the most important. Or right there at the top of the list of things we don’t want to lose in case something catastrophic happens with our phone. Some iPhone users report that they noticed Contacts not backing up to iCloud and that some contacts that are visible on iPhone, don’t appear to be in iCloud. If that’s the case with you, too, check the instructions we provided below. Hopefully, at the end of the article, you won’t have any issues with Contacts sync.

Table of contents:

1. Restart your iPhone
2. Disable and re-enable sync
3. Set iCloud Contacts as the default
4. Reset All Settings

Why are my contacts not backed up to iCloud?

First of all, make sure that you have some free storage space in iCloud. Make some if you’re close to the limit. After that, give your iPhone a quick restart. If that doesn’t help, disabling and re-enabling sync should kickstart the sync.

Another thing worth mentioning is that you can back up only contacts you created on an iPhone and contacts from other providers (e.g. Outlook, Gmail/Google Account) won’t back up.

1. Restart your iPhone

Start with a simple restart and check if the contacts sync to iCloud or not. Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best one. Inspect Contacts on your iPhone and check iCloud.com. If there are no changes when you refresh the contacts list, make sure that Contacts are saved to iCloud.

Contacts from other sources like Gmail or Outlook won’t sync with iCloud. If you’re positive that the contacts saved to iCloud are not syncing, try disabling and re-enabling sync. You can do that in system settings.

2. Disable and re-enable sync

It’s not unusual for certain cloud-based services to have a temporary halt, especially after system updates. So, what you need to do in this scenario is disable iCloud Contacts sync and enable it again. That should kickstart it and, hopefully, your Contacts will sync without any issues.

Here’s how to disable and re-enable Contacts sync on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on your Apple ID/ account at the top.
3. Select iCloud.
4. Toggle off Contacts, select Keep on My iPhone, and restart your iPhone.
5. Get back to Settings > Account > iCloud and enable Contacts sync.
6. Tap Merge.

3. Set iCloud Contacts as the default

There’s an option to choose between multiple Contacts sources, besides iCloud. Personally, I use Gmail/Google Account as the default Contacts service, but, if you rely on iPhone Contacts, you can try switching to iCloud. Hopefully, the new contacts you add will be stored on iCloud accordingly.

Here’s how to change the default contacts service on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Contacts.
3. Choose Default Account.
4. Select iCloud.

Again, only Contacts created on this iPhone or other devices with the same Apple ID can sync to iCloud. Contacts from third-party services can’t.

4. Reset All Settings

Finally, the only suggestion we have is to try with the reset of all settings. We are not sure this will help but there’s only so much you can do when an essential service like this doesn’t work as intended. Resetting all settings won’t delete your data, unlike the factory reset, but you might need to configure some settings later on.

Here’s how to reset All Settings on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select General.
3. Choose Transfer or Reset iPhone.
4. Select Reset.
5. Choose Reset All Settings.
6. Enter your PIN or Password and confirm.

With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions with us in the comments section below. As always, we look forward to hearing from you.