Having your iPhone contacts accidentally deleted can be incredibly frustrating. Your entire address book gone in an instant. But don’t panic! There are several methods you can try to recover deleted contacts on your iPhone.
Quick Summary
Here are the key points covered in this guide:
- First, try checking the Recently Deleted folder on your iPhone – contacts deleted within the past 30 days may still be there
- Restore from an iCloud or iTunes backup if you have one – this will retrieve your contacts from the backup point
- Use data recovery software to scan your iPhone and find any leftover contact data that can be recovered
- If the contacts were synced with an email account like Gmail, reconnect that account to import the contacts again
- As a last resort, enlist a data recovery service to attempt to recover contacts forensically from your iPhone
While recovering deleted contacts is possible in many cases, prevention is also key. Be sure to regularly backup your iPhone to both iCloud and iTunes to have multiple fallback options. Let’s dive into each of these recovery methods more deeply.
Check Recently Deleted Folder on iPhone
The first place to check when looking for deleted contacts on your iPhone is in the Recently Deleted folder. Here’s how it works:
- Open the Contacts app on your iPhone
- Tap on Groups at the top left
- Scroll down and tap on Recently Deleted
This folder will contain any contacts that have been deleted within the last 30 days. Simply tap on any contact you want to recover in order to restore it back to your main contacts list. This is often the easiest and quickest way to find deleted contacts on an iPhone.
Recently Deleted Limitations
While the Recently Deleted folder makes recovering deleted contacts easy when you notice soon enough, there are some limitations to be aware of:
- Contacts are only stored temporarily for 30 days
- If you delete the contact again from Recently Deleted, it is permanently erased
- Contacts deleted more than 30 days ago will no longer be available
So this method only works for very recent accidental deletes. But don’t worry, there are still ways to recover older deleted contacts as we’ll explain next.
Restore Contacts from iCloud or iTunes Backup
The next option to retrieve deleted contacts is to restore your iPhone from a backup. This brings your phone back to a previous state with all data intact. There are two types of backups that may contain your missing contacts:
iCloud Backup
If you have iCloud Backup enabled, your iPhone is periodically backing up your data to iCloud. To restore contacts from an iCloud backup:
- Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups
- Tap on your iPhone backup > Restore
This will erase your iPhone and replace all data with the iCloud backup data, including your contacts if they were synced prior to deletion.
iTunes Backup
Similarly, iTunes can backup your iPhone locally when plugged into your computer. To use a previous iTunes backup:
- Open iTunes on your computer > Preferences > Devices
- Select your iPhone > Summary > Restore Backup
Again, this will rollback your phone state to the selected iTunes backup point and restore missing data like contacts in the process.
Backup Limitations
Backups through iCloud or iTunes are only helpful for recovering deleted contacts if:
- You had contact syncing enabled
- A backup occurred before the contacts were deleted
- You are willing to erase your iPhone back the backup point
If you have gaps in your backups or don’t want to fully restore your phone, keep reading for other contact recovery options.
Recover Deleted Contacts with Data Recovery Software
Data recovery software provides a more surgical way to get back deleted contacts from your iPhone by scanning for leftover data.
Programs like iMyFone D-Back and EaseUS MobiSaver work by creating a temporary backup of your iPhone to your computer, then letting you browse the backup like a hard drive to find lost files. This allows extracting only the deleted contact data you want to restore.
Here are the overall steps when using iPhone data recovery software:
- Connect your iPhone to computer and launch the program
- Grant permission for temporary backup access
- Scan the backup for deleted contacts
- Preview and select the contacts to recover
- Save the recovered contacts back to your iPhone or export to computer
The deep scan capabilities of data recovery software give you the best chance of getting back even very old accidentally deleted contacts.
Recovery Software Limitations
While data recovery software often works well, there are a few caveats:
- Paid software with full features required for best results
- Contacts not always guaranteed to be found depending on state of iPhone memory
- May be technically complex for some users
But despite the disadvantages, quality iPhone recovery software offers the most control and depth when digging for deleted contact files. Just be sure to use a trustworthy paid solution with stellar reviews and customer support in case any issues arise in the process.
Re-sync Contact Account to Import Again
If your deleted iPhone contacts were synced from an account like Gmail or Outlook, you may be able to get them back by simply re-syncing that account.
Many third party apps allow you to sync contacts both ways between your accounts and your iPhone. So if the contacts are still visible in the app they came from originally, follow these steps to sync from the account again:
- Open Settings > [account name] > Contacts
- Toggle on Contacts to re-enable syncing
- Open account and confirm deleted contacts are still present there
- Open Contacts app to see synced contacts restored
This sync method is especially helpful for recovering contacts tied to your Apple ID or iCloud since they are tied directly to your iPhone. Just log back in and sync again.
Sync Limitations
While account re-syncing works great in some cases, there are limitations:
- Only helps if contacts were synced from account in the first place
- Contacts must still exist in the account – if deleted there too then sync won’t help
So this method is hit or miss, but absolutely worth a quick try if you previously had account syncing enabled for your contacts.
Contact Professional Data Recovery Service
If you’ve struck out with all other DIY methods, your last option may be to enlist a professional iPhone data recovery service. Companies like Drivesavers and Gillware offer advanced data recovery from iOS devices:
- Extract memory chips from iPhone to copy data at lowest level
- Use forensic tools to scan for every last piece of recoverable data
- Clean room facilities ensure no risk in process
- Highest chances for recovering any contacts that still exist
However, professional iPhone data recovery does have downsides:
- Very expensive, often $1000+
- No guarantee contacts will be found
- May take 1-2 weeks to get phone back
So professional recovery should only be used as a last resort option when contacts are extremely valuable and all else has failed. But for critical business or personal contacts, it can be worth the high fees to know even obscure recoverable data has been found.
Prevent Deleted Contacts in the Future
While recovering deleted contacts is possible in many cases, your best bet is prevention moving forward. Here are pro tips to avoid ever losing contacts again after restoring them:
- Enable iCloud and iTunes backups – Regularly auto-backing up your iPhone offers protection in case contacts go missing. You can restore from a point before deletion.
- Export all contacts periodically – Export your contacts to a CSV file on your computer as another layer of protection against permanent loss.
- Confirm before deleting – iPhone offers a prompt to ensure you want to delete contacts. Pay close attention when bulk deleting.
- Use a contacts manager app – Dedicated contact apps like Monica make it harder to accidentally delete contacts forever.
Following these tips will help ensure you never have to wonder “how do I recover deleted contacts on my iPhone?” again in the future.
Conclusion
Retrieving accidentally deleted iPhone contacts is often possible with some patience and the right tools. First look in the Recently Deleted folder on your iPhone within 30 days of the deletion. If contacts were deleted further back, restore from an iCloud or local iTunes backup if you have one. Third party data recovery software provides means to more deeply scan and restore contacts deleted long ago.
Re-syncing related contact accounts and professional recovery services can also sometimes help in trickier cases. Just be sure to start backing up your iPhone regularly going forward to avoid ever losing important contacts again.
With some effort, your iPhone contact list can likely be restored after even the most unfortunate of accidental erasures. Never lose hope when contacts go missing – just turn to the techniques outlined in this guide and there is a good chance your entire address book can be recovered.