PSA: If you are missing Contacts on your new iPhone

[MareLuce]

I needed to call someone just now, and could not find them in my Contacts app.

THEN I saw the message at bottom of Contacts app search results, "More results will be shown after indexing is complete".
OK then.

 

[MareLuce]

The Bad News is - I've started seeing the white screen of death when trying to open Contacts, Messages, or Phone app on my new iPhone 17 Pro Max (1 TB) 😭

Workaround that sometimes works: Force restart

A bunch of people in the Apple Support communities have reported this problem with various pre-installed Apple apps for years. I have never seen this problem till iOS 26 on an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Apple Support community most widely accepted solution: Reset --> all Network settings.
But when I tried that, my iphone became stuck at 5% of the reboot progress bar. Thought I had bricked it.
Force Restart to the rescue. (and I still saw the problem eventually - like once every 5 app opens).

 

[awshucks]

If contacts ever does not work use Siri. My 15 Pro on 26 has not had any issues with Messages or Phone. I never open Contacts though since that capability is already in the Phone app.

 

[MareLuce]

If contacts ever does not work use Siri. My 15 Pro on 26 has not had any issues with Messages or Phone. I never open Contacts though since that capability is already in the Phone app.

Great idea, thanks!

To help remember people's phone numbers without Contacts app, I've been using sites that help change phone numbers into words.