Ups sorry. I wanted to write that I perhaps deleted the app that was responsible for the problem while cleaning up... just typed to fast...
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iOS 14 Spotlight Search not showing apps and contacts
- Thread starter harkon
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Ups sorry. I wanted to write that I perhaps deleted the app that was responsible for the problem while cleaning up... just typed to fast...
This 14 version of iOS have many new option regarding indexing app.
I think they have to rebuild index for everybody or for everybody who had a issue , but how they determine it?
for my mind we have to request new option to rebuild index by one custom request in menu.
Annoyingly the option to “ask siri” in the spotlight search is gone. It was handy just to type something in search and press ask Siri especially at night or quiet places when I don’t want have to use my voice. Just type and search. Yes I know there’s an accessibility feature to do this all the time but it’s not the same.
Thanks! I check I only have around 900 apps on my iPad and around 300 apps on my iPhone, yet my search function can’t find or launch apps... Sad.
Ask Siri is only for Englishman .if the main language is not English Ask Siri works only by native language . And how to ask YouTube by text query on native language ?
Currently, I have 619 apps installed and removing those I no longer want lingering on my iPhone. This does not solve it because it can't search any content in Notes, Calendars, etc.
This has always been turned on since iOS 13; turning it on and off doesn't work at all. It seems like Spotlight hit a brick wall and gave up indexing.
Please report to Apple if you have this issue. Thank you.
I signed up for an account here specifically so I can comment on this and say that I am absolutely experiencing the exact same scenario as you guys. And likewise, the total number of apps on my phone is probably close to 1,000. I think that is a very odd commonality between all of us who are experiencing this issue and then the 99% who are totally fine. Because this issue is ABSURD and my phone is almost unusable when it’s so many extra clicks to find any single app I want. This needs to be fixed like ASAP. Major issue. I was sooo angry when I found out that it was just me and that my family didn’t have to learn some crazy new to way to navigate their phones.
In terms of troubleshooting, I have done everything short of backing up my entire phone and then starting fresh....but 1) that’s insane to have to make us do at no fault of our own 2) my laptop doesn’t even have enough GB free at the moment to hold it. Tried to do the siri settings adjustments and a language switch like I saw on one other place as a suggestion. Maybe it’s also a miscommunication with our Apple IDs and then also with Siri on the backend after that? I already feel like my phone is not acting as everyone else’s would act in situations like having to refresh multiple times to scan all my apps for updates and other odd situations?
Same here. My wife’s iPhone 8 works fine with the search function. It’s maddening. I even visited an official Apple reseller store (there is no Apple store here), and tried all iPhone and iPad. None have the issues.
I can also now confirm that going semi-nuclear and doing “Reset All Settings” does NOT fix the issue. Nor did combining like 10 other troubleshooting steps I tried before restarting my phone in hopes of one of them working.
Changed the language
Changed the region
Signed in/out of app store
Reset All Settings
Shut off phone
Kept phone off long enough to clear memory
Etc etc
I think I tap out on trying until Apple can acknowledge that this bug exists and it can pick up some attention with others confirming they are experiencing it too. I’m still struggling to even find others posting about it when I search keywords online, but maybe I’m just missing something here...
Changed the language
Changed the region
Signed in/out of app store
Reset All Settings
Shut off phone
Kept phone off long enough to clear memory
Etc etc
I think I tap out on trying until Apple can acknowledge that this bug exists and it can pick up some attention with others confirming they are experiencing it too. I’m still struggling to even find others posting about it when I search keywords online, but maybe I’m just missing something here...
I have exactly this problem as well. Just on my iPhone 11. My "iPads pro" (Apple English, my default language) do not have this issue.
That and low-quality voice transcription, which is a perpetual bizarre problem (switching pronouns, etc.), are the two things that make iOS 14 a disappointment so far.
And yes, I do have a lot of apps on my iPhone. Back when I first got an iPhone, I downloaded every free app when it was on sale. And it's a huge pain to clean them up, so I just didn't bother, especially after iOS started offloading them automatically to free up space. (Even more of a bother after a failed iPhone restore damaged/destroyed all my folders, so the many, many hours I had spent organizing them was lost, and I really did not feel like doing it again.)
That and low-quality voice transcription, which is a perpetual bizarre problem (switching pronouns, etc.), are the two things that make iOS 14 a disappointment so far.
And yes, I do have a lot of apps on my iPhone. Back when I first got an iPhone, I downloaded every free app when it was on sale. And it's a huge pain to clean them up, so I just didn't bother, especially after iOS started offloading them automatically to free up space. (Even more of a bother after a failed iPhone restore damaged/destroyed all my folders, so the many, many hours I had spent organizing them was lost, and I really did not feel like doing it again.)
I finally took the plunge, and erase all settings & contents on my iPad Pro. Then I set it up as a new iPad, and lo & behold! The spotlight search worked fine!
Then I just erase all settings & contents again, but then load from an iCloud backup, and the spotlight search broke again... I can’t launch or find apps (including the Apple-made apps!)....
Baffling... 😭
Then I just erase all settings & contents again, but then load from an iCloud backup, and the spotlight search broke again... I can’t launch or find apps (including the Apple-made apps!)....
Baffling... 😭
A minor addendum: It turns out I have only 160 apps on my iPhone. The bulk of them were properly offloaded by iOS.
But maybe the relevant issue involves the number of apps in the index (including offloaded), rather than actually installed.
But maybe the relevant issue involves the number of apps in the index (including offloaded), rather than actually installed.
If one scrolls down to the bottom of the defective spotlight results, one has the option to search the App Store, which will get you to the app in a very roundabout, clumsy way, but without having to use Siri and speak out loud.
I have this issue also. While investigating the issue I also noticed Content & Privacy Restrictions/ parental controls are almost completely broken on both of my devices.
Are any of you also using Content & Privacy Restrictions? When I check my Contacts section I see a list of apps that have access to Photos instead of apps with access to contacts. I can no longer make any changes to permissions either. I wonder if this issue is related to Spotlight issue?
Are any of you also using Content & Privacy Restrictions? When I check my Contacts section I see a list of apps that have access to Photos instead of apps with access to contacts. I can no longer make any changes to permissions either. I wonder if this issue is related to Spotlight issue?
Ahhh so that is something that my IT department at work mentioned to me today...I talked it through with them and he pointed out that if I just backed up and then restored my contents, I'd likely simply get the same issue transferred over once I recovered.....so the nuclear option really needs to be the nuclear option of starting fresh, unless Apple steps in and does something....and that is IF it even works after we delete everything off of our phones!! This is seriously frustrating and I'm not sure how to escalate this further. I had to do something like this with my Surface Pro before and didn't get anywhere until I made a post that was getting a lot of attention on Reddit, then next thing you know a level 3 support tech is legit messaging me from Reddit offering help. I'm sure others besides us will speak up.
Not acceptable at ALL for the resolution to be to tell us that it sucks to suck and that we need to erase OUR data to fix their problem.
So I just checked, and no I don't have that issue where it's greyed out....but I was actually logging on in the first place to post something that might actually be tied to this....
I ended up trying to do "Reset All Settings" (which did not fix the Spotlight issue), but now....when I go to notifications, and I wanted to turn on notifications for Outlook email...which I have been using today...it's not there. Neither is any of my other hundreds of apps that were previously listed on there. Now, I have never done reset all settings before. Is this how it works where it doesn't even register the apps existing until you enable the setting for that respective app? Even so, it doesn't make sense why my outlook isn't showing up here...I would've expected it to show all the apps but show notifications off for them, and then once I open them for the first time or try to enable notifications in-app, then it would switch from Off to On within Settings > Notifications.
Anyone got anything else to contribute to this thread? Please share if you read this thread and are having the same issues. Driving me nuts over here lol. Coming close to erasing everything and rage quitting.
I have the problem with an iPad with over 1,000 apps. I guess I have to start cleaning to get it down to 999.
I'm planning to take the dive and erase it all. I already have the iCloud plan for a couple bucks a month, so I have that + I may do an iTunes backup if I can free up enough space....then I will erase all content > then I also read that it's best to do that a second time again > then I'll download apps directly from the app store and not do a restore. Need a functioning phone for work.
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Any last minute tips on making sure I don't miss something on planning the back up/recovery? About to screenshot my app folders that I have set up to re-create them after the fact.
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Any last minute tips on making sure I don't miss something on planning the back up/recovery? About to screenshot my app folders that I have set up to re-create them after the fact.
Good luck. Erasing all and set the iDevice as new will solve the issue... It’s upsetting, as an iOs/iPadOS update should not force us to do this kind of “nuclear” option...