[Detailed] How to Restore Lost Contacts on iPhone 11/11 Pro (Max)

Missing Contacts

I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max with iOS 13.5.1. I lost some of my contacts although they still appear on my call log. If one of the lost contacts calls me or texts me, it can still show the name of the contact on my call log or messages. The iCloud contacts show the missing contacts on my iPhone, but still, they’re missing from the iPhone 11. What can I do?

- Question from Apple Community

What can you do if you fail to find the one who you’d like to get in contact with after scrolling up and down in the Contacts app?  

It doesn’t matter if you accidentally delete or lost contacts on iPhone 11/11 Pro (Max) or any other models of iPhone like iPhone 14/13/12. This complete guide will provide you with every detail to get back your lost contacts with no effort.

Part 1. Possible reasons why you lost contacts on iPhone 11/11 Pro (Max)

Before every specific solution to fix iPhone contacts disappeared, you may wonder why you lost contacts on iPhone. Here comes some possible reasons that may explain why.

• Mistaken deletion or operation. The issue can mostly result from wrong deletion or incorrect operation with Contacts or iCloud contacts sync, which makes iPhone contacts disappeared.
• New iOS update. If you find contacts missing after updating iOS, Possibly, your contacts are not synced back with iCloud. Besides, some unknown errors of the previous version of iOS can also cause the issue.
• iPhone storage full. Is your iPhone currently low on storage? This can sometimes lead to the issue you’re encountering.

Part 2. How to restore lost contacts on iPhone 11/11 Pro (Max)

To find missing contacts on iPhone 11/ 11 Pro (Max), there are some simple fixes you can try. If you backed up your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes regularly, you’re also able to restore lost contacts from the backup.

2 quick fixes to iPhone contacts disappeared

Contacts on iPhone may disappear in many situations. You can try three quick and simple fixes to retrieve them back directly.

Force restart your iPhone
Force restart iPhone is a simple but useful tip to solve common glitches on your iPhone, including the error that lead to phone contacts losing. Depending on the type of your iPhone, follow the specific steps below to force restart your iPhone.

• iPhone 8 or later: Press the Volume + button and release it quickly. Press the Volume - button and release it quickly. Press the Power button and release it when you see the Apple logo.
• iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Press both the Power button and Volume - button for seconds until the Apple logo appears.
• iPhone 6s or earlier: Press both the Power button and the Home button for seconds, release it until the Apple logo appears.

You can back to Contacts app to check if your contacts are back after force restarting iPhone.

Check the default account in Settings
By default, contacts aremeant to be synced to iCloud. So if you lost some contacts on iPhone, you can check the default account in Settings to get them back. Here’s how to do it.

Go to the Settings app on your iPhone > locate and tap Contacts > Tap Default Account > Choose iCloud.

If neither of the two tips works, you may need to seek a professional tool mentioned below to recover lost contacts from iPhone. Or if you have a good habit of backing up iPhone contacts, then the guide in the next part may help you get lost contacts back.

How to recover lost contacts from iPhone 11

With the help of AOMEI Data Recovery for iOS, a powerful iPhone data recovery tool, you could recover lost contacts, as well as missing photos, notes, reminders, etc. from your iPhone. Click the icon below to free download it and recover contacts in two simple steps.

Step 1. Run AOMEI Data Recovery for iOS on your computer > Connect your iPhone to computer > Click Scan from the left pane > Choose Scan Now to let the tool analyze the data on your iPhone.

Step 2. All lost data on your iPhone will be listed, Click Contacts or any types of data you need, and click Recover to make it.

How to restore lost contacts on iPhone 11 from backup

If you fail to get lost contacts back, you can try to restore them from iCloud backup or iTunes. But you need to be noted that the prerequisite is that you have once enabled iCloud or iTunes backup.

Restore lost contacts via iCloud
You can easily restore lost contacts on iPhone from iCloud backup. Let’s learn the detailed guide to retrieve them.

Go to Settings on your iPhone > Tap [your name] > iCloud > Turn on Contacts. Choose Merge if you’re asked to Merge or Cancel.

Warm tip: If the Contacts option is already on, turn it off and choose Keep on My iPhone. Then switch it on again and tap Merge. 

Retrieve lost contacts from iTunes backup
iTunes also provides you a full backup way to save your contacts, which means you may only be allowed to restore all data on your iPhone when trying to retrieve lost contacts from iTunes backup. Make it by following the steps below.

Step 1. Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes on your computer > Connect your iPhone to computer.

Step 2. Select your iPhone icon in the upper-left corner > Choose your iPhone > Click Summary > Choose Restore iPhone...

Step 3. Choose the most recent backup file > Click Restore button to start the task.

Notes:
• All data from iTunes will be restored on your iPhone replacing existing iPhone data, which means restore backup from iTunes will erase all current data on your iPhone.
• Chances are that iTunes restore backup greyed out, make sure you have updated iTunes to the latest version. 

Part 3. How to avoid contacts and other data loss on iPhone

To make iPhone contacts, as well as other types of data safe, it is suggested to keep an iPhone backup on PC. It’s better if you can browse, selectively restore the backup files at any time. FoneTool can be a nice choice for you because it makes the backup process simpler and safer.

✓ Preview and selective process. You can feel free to backup selective contents from your iPhone to computer via FoneTool.
✓ Simple design and operation. The interface is pretty clear. You can finish backing up iPhone within a few clicks.
✓ Incremental backup. FoneTool offers you a backup of files that have changed or are new since the last incremental backup.
✓ Wide compatibility. FoneTool can work well with iPhones from iPhone 4 to iPhone 14 series, iPad, and iPod. It also supports different versions of iOS like iOS 16.

Free download FoneTool by clicking the icon below. Let’s backup your iPhone to PC with no effort.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to computer > Launch FoneTool and choose Phone Backup on the left pane, and choose Selective Backup option. Click Get Started.

Warm tip: You can also choose the option “iPhone to PC” to transfer contacts and other files from iPhone to computer.

Step 2. Click each icon to select the wanted files you’d like to backup to computer > Click OK to confirm.

Step 3. You can click Backup Storage Path to choose a storage path as you like (You’re allowed to choose a local folder, an external hard drive, etc.) > Click Start Backup to make it.

Notes:
▶ When the task is completed, you can go to Backup History page to locate, browse, or delete backup files.
▶ As a professional backup tool, FoneTool also enables you to feature Full Backup to make a full iPhone backup. You’re also able to discover more functions of FoneTool on your own.

Conclusion

That’s all for lost contacts on iPhone 11/11 Pro (Max). Hopefully, you can restore lost contacts successfully with solutions in this guide. To avoid further data loss, it’s highly recommended you keep iPhone backup on PC using FoneTool. For more queries or feedback, please feel free to contact us.