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How to Retrieve Deleted Contacts on iPhone [Recover Lost Contacts Online]

Losing important contacts from your iPhone can be a nightmare if you accidentally deleted them, or they just vanished. Luckily for you, there are many ways to restore your contacts, which will vary depending on your situation. In this article, we will go over the main reasons this might happen and how you can recover deleted contacts from your iPhone.

Why do contacts get deleted?

The reasons behind your deleted contacts might differ from one another. Regardless of your situation, it can be very frustrating when you lose contacts on your iPhone that you truly need. Please pay attention to the following guide, as it will be relevant for recovering deleted contacts on your iPhone.

Update error

It is quite common for something to go wrong during an update. In most cases, these errors may occur when restoring your information due to a glitch with your iPhone data or because you tried to save a contact (for example, from WhatsApp) while you didn’t have a stable internet connection.

Issues with third-party services

Another common reason, especially after setting up a new iPhone, is that some contacts might be stored on third-party apps. This issue is quite common among users migrating from Android, where their contacts are stored by tools compatible with Android. This might also happen if you have recently changed passwords and revoked access to other devices on these services. As a result, contacts may be missing once the iPhone syncs with those apps.

Installing the wrong backup

Though not as common as you might think, after restoring your iPhone from a backup, there’s a chance you may have chosen an older one. This means you will lose any newer contacts. This issue is more likely if you are using iCloud backup directly from your MacBook.

Accident

Last but not least, it’s quite common to delete a contact by accident. This often happens when someone else uses your phone and mistakenly deletes the wrong contact. Luckily, it’s usually very easy to restore contacts on an iPhone if the accident happened recently.

How to restore deleted contacts on iPhone

If you want to restore contacts on your iPhone, we have some solutions that will help you recover them. We recommend reading through the common reasons why this might happen to help you identify the best solution for your case.

Check synced accounts

First and most easily, we are going to check the Contacts app on your iPhone. This will help us see which accounts are currently linked to your phone. Here’s a quick guide on how to access it:

Go to settings
Scroll down to Apps (iOS 18)
Find the app ‘Contacts’
Tap on ‘Contacts accounts’
Open the account and toggle on ‘Contacts’ if off

In this app, you’ll see all the accounts that currently sync your contacts. As we explained before, changing or revoking access to devices through a third-party app like Gmail might result in missing contacts. On the other hand, if you recently migrated to iOS, your old phone numbers may not appear in the contact list immediately. If this is the case, simply add them. To do so:

Select ‘Add account’
Select the service
Enter your username and password
Make sure contacts are sync

Use an iCloud Backup

If you are logged in to all your accounts, it’s possible you may have simply deleted the contact. However, you can use iCloud to restore it completely online. All you need to do is:

Go to ‘iCloud’ on your browser
Sign in to your account using your Apple ID and Password
Scroll down and find the ‘Data recovery’ option
Choose ‘Restore contacts’
Check if the contact you need is there (If so, restore it)

Restore iPhone contacts using your computer

If the last option didn’t help, there’s still hope, as your backups may also include your contacts from iCloud. For this, we recommend using a MacBook or a computer, as it will be the easiest method. If you choose to proceed, make sure to use an updated MacBook to access the Finder app or a Windows computer for an iTunes backup. Although the process varies slightly, both follow the same basic steps, which are as follows:

Connect your iPhone to your computer
Open the Finder or iTunes App
Check for your device
Select Restore Backup
Find the backup you think is best and allow it

If everything is successful, and you have chosen a backup from a date prior to deleting the contacts, there’s a high chance you will get your contacts back.

Recover deleted contacts on iPhone without Backup or Computer

If none of the options we explained before are viable for you, there’s still a chance that you can restore your contacts. This method is recommended as long as you find a trusted service; that’s why we recommend reviewing different tools that are easy to use and do not compromise your privacy. Knowing how hard this can be, the team at UnlockHere developed a tool that can help you find deleted contacts on your iPhone completely online.

Retrieve lost contacts without backup with UnlockHere

If you wish to get back your deleted phone numbers on your iPhone, Nifty is here to help. This is an online tool that can restore deleted contacts on your iPhone without the need for complicated tools. The whole process is done online and will not take more than a few minutes to recover your contacts. Make sure to read this guide carefully to ensure you understand the entire process and avoid any delays.

Submit your request to the app

The first thing that you need to know is that Nifty is a non-invasive app, meaning you don’t have to provide lots of information. All the app needs from your side is the following:

Name
Email
IMEI
Access to your contacts

Make sure that the information provided is correct, as this is the only way for the app to access your data and recover the missing contacts on your iPhone.

Complete the steps on the platform

Once you have entered the information correctly, Nifty will restore the contacts and make them available for you in a download file. As part of a security measure, we have introduced a verification process that helps us keep this service running smoothly and prevents misuse of the tool. All information on how to complete this verification process will be available in a short video tutorial that explains, step-by-step, how to do so.

Recover contacts instantly

After completing the verification process on the platform, your contacts will be ready to download. Please download your file and open it using any app on your iPhone. As you will clearly see, Nifty has recovered all previously deleted contacts from your iPhone.

Can I get back deleted contacts on my iPhone?

Yes, contacts are usually stored in backups or third-party apps. It is crucial to check if you have synced contacts on platforms other than iCloud Contacts. If you do not want to deal with any of that, there are also tools like UnlockHere that can restore deleted contacts from an iPhone entirely online.

Are contacts permanently deleted?

Not quite. If you have deleted a contact, it will still be available using backups. However, the longer you take to restore your backup, the more it will impact your chances of getting your lost contacts back.