Some contacts may fail to appear in your WhatsApp contact list due to permission issues, syncing problems, or system restrictions. When this happens, you won’t be able to start a conversation with those contacts until the issue is fixed.
Thankfully, the problem is usually easy to resolve by adjusting a few settings on your phone. Below is a detailed guide for both iPhone and Android users to help restore missing contacts in WhatsApp.
How to See WhatsApp Contacts on iPhone
The most common reason contacts don’t show up on WhatsApp on an iPhone is that the app doesn’t have permission to access your contact list. To fix this, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone
- Scroll down and tap Privacy & Security
- Select Contacts
- Find WhatsApp in the list and make sure the toggle is turned on
If WhatsApp didn’t have access before, enabling this option should allow your contacts to sync automatically.
Check Screen Time Restrictions
In some cases, restrictions set through Screen Time can block WhatsApp from accessing contacts:
- Go to Settings
- Tap Screen Time
- Select Content & Privacy Restrictions
- Make sure no restrictions are enabled that could limit contact access
After changing these settings, restarting your iPhone can help refresh the system and apply the changes.
Still Not Working?
If the problem continues, check where your contacts are stored. Contacts saved to an Exchange Server account (often used on work or business devices) may be restricted by company policies. In such cases, the account administrator might have blocked apps like WhatsApp from accessing those contacts.
To resolve this:
- Copy the Exchange contacts to your iPhone or iCloud contact list
- Contact your company’s IT department to request permission for WhatsApp access
Also, if the missing contact is from another country, make sure the phone number is saved in full international format, including the country code (for example, +44 or +1).
How to See WhatsApp Contacts on Android
On Android devices, the issue is usually related to permissions or outdated contact syncing.
Allow Contact Access
Start by checking WhatsApp’s permissions:
- Open Settings
- Tap Apps & Notifications (or Applications, depending on your device)
- Select WhatsApp
- Tap Permissions
- Make sure Contacts is enabled
Without this permission, WhatsApp cannot display your saved contacts.
Refresh Contacts in WhatsApp
Once permissions are enabled, manually refresh your contact list:
- Open WhatsApp
- Tap the New Chat icon in the bottom-right corner
- Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner
- Select Refresh
This forces WhatsApp to resync your contacts and display any newly added numbers.
Check Hidden Contacts
Sometimes contacts are hidden within your phone’s contact app:
- Open the Contacts app
- Tap the menu in the top-right corner
- Select All Contacts
This ensures that no numbers are being filtered out.
If Contacts Still Don’t Appear on Android
If refreshing doesn’t work, try restarting your phone or logging back into WhatsApp.
Clear Cache and Storage
- Go to Settings
- Open Apps & Notifications → All Apps
- Find and tap WhatsApp
- Select Storage
- Tap Clear Cache and Clear Storage
When you reopen WhatsApp, you’ll need to verify your phone number again using the code sent by SMS.
Force Stop WhatsApp
If clearing the cache doesn’t help, force-stopping the app may resolve the issue:
- Go to Settings → Apps & Notifications
- Tap All Apps and select WhatsApp
- Tap Force Stop
- Then choose Clear Cache
After reopening the app, give it a moment to resync your contacts.
By following these steps, most users can recover missing contacts and restore their WhatsApp contact list. Issues like permissions, restrictions, syncing delays, or storage settings are usually the cause—and once corrected, WhatsApp should work normally again.
