As you know, WhatsApp allows you to chat with people who are saved as your contacts in your phone address book. So, if some contacts do not show up in WhatsApp contacts list, you simply can’t chat with them.
Have you ever faced a need to send an urgent message to someone on WhatsApp, and you discover that the person doesn’t appear in your contact list? This is really annoying, right?
This problem can occur for several reasons. In this guide, we’re including some tips that you can try to fix the problem of newly added contacts not showing up in WhatsApp messenger on Android.
Tip 1: Refresh WhatsApp contact list
It may happen that you’ve recently added new contacts, and they aren’t yet updated in your WhatsApp contact list. If that’s the case, you need to just refresh the contact list. Here’s how;
Step 1: Launch WhatsApp application, and tap the new chat icon located at bottom-right.
Step 2: On the contacts screen, tap the three-dotted menu icon at top-right, and select ‘Refresh’.
Now that the contact list is updated, you should see the contacts that did not appear before.
Tip 2: Display all Contacts in the Contacts App
You should also check if all the contacts in your address book are visible in the app. It is possible that the Contacts app on your phone is set to show contacts only from a certain account (Device, SIM, Google, etc.). Follow the steps to show all contacts in the Contacts app.
1: Open the Contacts app on your phone, and select ‘Contacts’ tab.
2: Tap the ‘More’ option at the top-right corner, and then tap ‘Settings’.
3: Select ‘Contacts to display’ option. To make all contacts visible, select ‘All contacts’.
Check if the missing contacts are shown in your WhatsApp contact list now.
Tip 3: Manually Sync WhatsApp Contacts
It is quite possible that WhatsApp is not syncing your contacts properly, and you need to manually sync WhatsApp contacts. To do so, open your phone’s Settings, and go to ‘Accounts and Sync’ > ‘WhatsApp’. Make sure Contacts is selected, then tap ‘Sync now’ option. You can also reset WhatsApp sync by choosing the ‘Remove’ button.
Tip 4: Clear WhatsApp Cache
When cache files of any app get corrupted, it can create problems or slow down the app. So, this may also be a reason why the app is not showing some contacts. It would be better if you force stop WhatsApp and clear cache. To do so, open your phone Settings, and go to Apps > WhatsApp > Force Stop. Tap ‘Storage’ and then ‘Clear Cache’.
Let us know if you get your missing WhatsApp contacts back.
