November 15, 2023, 8:44 a.m. |
Reading time: 3 minutes
Some people may be familiar with this little moment of shock: one or more WhatsApp contacts suddenly disappear. Although the reasons are varied, contacts that were thought to be lost can be reestablished relatively easily. TECHBOOK shows how.
It can happen for various reasons: A friend or acquaintance can suddenly no longer be found on WhatsApp. In most cases it is due to the setup of the new smartphone, a lack of an update or because users accidentally deleted the contact. But first, the good news: There is often no reason to worry because the contacts can be restored relatively easily.
Show WhatsApp contacts again
WhatsApp on Android
If a single contact has disappeared from your WhatsApp list, you should first check whether WhatsApp has basically synchronized all contacts on your smartphone. With an Android device, it can happen that users have hidden the phone’s contacts. In this case, these will not be displayed on WhatsApp.
Go to WhatsApp and click on the Messages icon at the bottom right. Select the three vertical dots and then select Update. You should now see all your smartphone contacts in Messenger again.
WhatsApp may also have had access to your contacts revoked or you may have accidentally denied access. In Android Settings, navigate to “Apps” and select WhatsApp there. Under “Permissions” you can see that you have allowed WhatsApp to access your contacts. Here you can grant access and then synchronize your contacts as described above.
WhatsApp on iOS
Even on the iPhone, you first have to allow the app to access your contacts. In the iPhone settings you can find the “Contacts” sub-item under the “Privacy” menu item. This must be turned on before you give WhatsApp permission to use your contacts.
Under the “Data Protection” menu item, iPhone users can give WhatsApp permission to access their contacts.
Photo: TECHBOOK Photo: TECHBOOK
Also read: How to transfer WhatsApp chats to a new smartphone
Find deleted contacts.
If you have deleted the missing contact, with a bit of luck it could still be in the trash. To do this, open the contact app and the three-dot menu. Open the trash can here and restore the displayed contact. A common default setting is that deleted contacts remain in the trash for 30 days before they are permanently deleted.
In this case, you may still be able to find what you are looking for in the backup of your contact list – provided you have created a backup. You can then add the disappeared contact back to the current contact list and, if necessary, synchronize it manually with WhatsApp.
If you have synced WhatsApp with your Google account, the account can also help you. In Gmail, select “Contacts” and then “Restore Contacts.” Users can decide for themselves how long they want to reset the contact list to. This will also get you the deleted contact back.
If none of this helps, there is only one option left: tools to restore contact. Software searches the cell phone for deleted data in order to restore it to the device. There are various apps in both the App Store and the Play Store that can restore data. This is approximately the case for Android devices Dumpster trash can and for iOS for example Apowersoft Manager (chargeable).