Top 6 Fixes for ‘Not All Contacts Were Deleted’ Error on iPhone

The Contacts app on your iPhone makes it convenient to save, manage, and sync contacts on your iPhone. Sometimes, you may want to declutter your contact list by deleting unwanted or duplicate entries. However, what if you can’t do that and receive the ‘Not all contacts were deleted’ error on your iPhone?

Such errors usually appear when you attempt to delete read-only contacts from your iPhone. That said, iCloud sync issues, temporary glitches, and other factors can trigger the error. This guide will walk you through all the possible tips for fixing the error for good. So, let’s start.

1. Delete Contact Using the Same App Used to Create It

One of the most common reasons you may encounter the ‘Not all contacts were deleted’ error on your iPhone is if you have created a contact using instant messaging apps like WhatsApp. Since these are read-only contacts, you may have trouble deleting them using the Contacts app.

To delete such read-only contacts from your iPhone, you need to use the same app you used to add the contact. For example, if you cannot delete a contact created using WhatsApp, follow these steps to remove it.

Step 1: Launch WhatsApp on your iPhone and navigate to the contact you want to delete. Tap the contact name at the top.

Step 2: Tap the Edit option at the top-right corner and tap the Delete Contact option.

Step 3: Select Delete Contact again to confirm.

2. Turn Off Siri’s Contact Suggestions

Siri’s contact suggestions feature may sometimes prevent your iPhone from deleting certain contacts or display previously deleted contacts. To avoid such issues, you should turn off Siri contact suggestions on your iPhone using these steps:

Step 1: Open the Settings app and scroll down to tap on Siri & Search.

Step 2: Tap on Contacts and turn off the toggle next to ‘Show Contact Suggesions.’

3. Disable and Re-Enable iCloud Sync

Sync issues with your iCloud account can also prevent you from editing or removing contacts on your iPhone. You can try disabling and re-enabling iCloud contacts sync on your iPhone to see if that helps.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap on your name at the top.

Step 2: Tap on iCloud and tap on Show All.

Step 3: Turn off the toggle next to Contacts. Wait for a few seconds, and then turn the toggle back on.

Try deleting contacts after this and see if the error still pops up.

4. Force Restart Your iPhone

Temporary glitches with the Contacts app or iOS can also cause unusual errors. In most cases, you can fix such issues by force restarting your iPhone. Here’s how you can go about it.

Step 1: Press and quickly release the volume up button.

Step 2: Press and quickly release the volume down button.

Step 3: Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

After your iPhone boots up, check if the issue is still there.

5. Check Content & Privacy Restrictions

You may be encountering the ‘Not all contacts were deleted’ error due to content restrictions set on your iPhone. You need to review these settings to ensure contact changes aren’t restricted to your iPhone.

Step 1: Open the Settings app, tap on Screen Time, and select ‘Content & Privacy Restrictions’ from the following menu.

Step 2: Tap on Contacts and select Allow Changes.

Try deleting contacts after this and see if you get any errors.

6. Use iCloud in a Browser to Delete the Contact

Lastly, if none of the above tips work, you can delete contacts by accessing your iCloud account in a web browser. Here are the steps for the same.

Step 1: Open up a web browser on your computer and visit iCloud. Sign in to your account if you haven’t already.

Visit iCloud

Step 2: Click the apps icon at the top-right corner and select Contacts.

Step 3: Hold down the Control (Windows) or Command (Mac) key on your keyboard and select the contacts you want to delete. Then, click the Delete Contacts option in the right pane.

Step 4: Click the Delete button to confirm.

Contact Woes No More

Deleting contacts from your iPhone is typically straightforward, but errors like ‘Not all contacts were deleted’ can occasionally interrupt the process. Hopefully, one of the above tips has helped you resolve the error, allowing you to delete redundant contacts successfully.