WhatsApp Not Showing Contact Names? How to Fix It

January 29, 2024

If WhatsApp is only showing phone numbers and not contact names, here are some fixes you can try.

Is WhatsApp not showing you the names of your saved contacts? The issue usually occurs with a specific contact you’ve recently saved. Other times, it affects all the contact names in your phone’s address book. Where does this issue come from, and how can you fix it?

Why Does WhatsApp Stop Showing Contact Names?

WhatsApp stops showing contact names for various reasons. Here are a few of them:

The WhatsApp number is having technical difficulties.
You’ve recently saved the contact, which WhatsApp hasn’t retrieved yet.
The contact list on your phone has been unintentionally deleted.
Your phone no longer recognizes SIM cards with saved contacts.
WhatsApp cannot access the contact names because your operating system restricts it.
There is a problem with WhatsApp sync.

Now that you know the causes of WhatsApp not showing contacts, let’s explore fixes we can try to fix this issue.

Perform Some Preliminary Checks

Apply the following preliminary checks before you get into serious troubleshooting:

Restart WhatsApp to rule out temporary issues.
Restart your phone to ensure the problem isn’t caused by a bug in your operating system.
Disable any app you’re using to use two WhatsApp accounts simultaneously.
Ensure that no other instant messaging apps are B to B Database active on your device.
Ensure WhatsApp is up-to-date.
Delete any apps that may interfere with WhatsApp, such as status saver ones.

If the above preliminary checks do not help, start applying the remaining fixes.