How to Fix WhatsApp Not Showing Contact Names on Android

7 February, 2023 — James Brandon

When using WhatsApp, you will need to import and synchronize your contacts with the app. This means that when sending a message to a contact on WhatsApp, you will be able to see the contact name the same way you saved it in your phone contacts.

However, sometimes you may experience the frustration of not being able to see contact names in your WhatsApp. This can be extremely inconvenient and even confusing as to who is sending you messages.

Fortunately, people have experienced the same problem before and have come up with explanations for why the problem comes about and have provided some simple steps to help fix the issue. In this piece, we highlight some steps that you can follow to fix your WhatsApp app when it is not displaying contact names.

Refresh WhatsApp Contacts

WhatsApp has an in-built contact refresh function that refreshes your contact list and updates any new contacts. When your WhatsApp app does not display contact names, refreshing the contacts can be a simple solution to the problem.

To refresh contacts on WhatsApp:

• Launch WhatsApp by tapping on its icon

• While on the launch page, tap the New chat icon that floats on the bottom right side of the screen

• On the page that appears, tap the three vertical dots at the top right side of the screen

• On the menu that appears, tap on “Refresh”. Your contacts will be updated automatically

Resetting WhatsApp Sync

The WhatsApp app has to sync your phone contacts for them to appear on the app. If there is a problem with the synching process, then contacts may not appear on your WhatsApp app. Resetting the sync process can rectify the problem.

To reset WhatsApp sync:

• Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Manage accounts > WhatsApp

• On the page that appears, tap on “Sync account”

• On the next page that appears, switch off the toggle button written “Contacts” and then switch it on again

• This will reset and redo the sync function for WhatsApp contacts

Allow WhatsApp to Access your Contacts

For WhatsApp to display your contacts, you must have granted the WhatsApp app permission to access your phone contacts. You can check to see if your WhatsApp app has been granted permission to access your contacts.

To grant WhatsApp permission to access your contacts:

• Navigate to Settings > Apps > WhatsApp

• On the page that appears, tap on Permissions

• Scroll to find Contacts and tap on it. Ensure that the setting is Allowed

If you have tried all the above methods and your WhatsApp contacts are still not displaying, you can try and clear WhatsApp’s cache to remove any accumulated data that might be causing the problem.

If the problem persists, you can also try updating your WhatsApp app or reinstalling the WhatsApp app to solve any bug that might be causing the problem.