I've scoured the forums for an answer on this!
My devices, MacBook Pro, iPhone and personal iPad have been all in harmony and working just fine for years. I've just started using iMessage and other iCloud functions on my
separate work iPad.
However, my
work iPad formats all my phone numbers in some unknown international way. As shown below. Yet all my settings on the work iPad are the same as all m other devices. Consequently, my iMessage thread shows the numbers rather than the contact names.
I've tried changing Language and Region in settings, turning off and on again. Ive tried disabling Contact from iCloud. Turning off and on again. I've reviewed my online settings. HELP!!!
All devices are running the latest iOS/Mac OS. I've tried all of these steps on this troubleshooter
https://www.mactip.net/how-to-fix-messages-showing-numbers-not-contact-names/
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its difficult to see from the photos you have attached exactly how yr iPad is formatting the phone numbers. sorry.
but, there have been times when one some of my Messages or phone call Recents does not show the name of the person that messaged or called me, even though their number is correct in my Contacts.
i have found that i have zero problems since i converted all the numbers in Contacts to their full international dialing prefix number, including the +. then the apple iOS software does format these numbers correctly.
but, as i mentioned, occasionally i get a Message or phone call and their number only is showing, not their name.
in that case, what i have needed in order to get their name to show was to add in the same number, but formatted in the following way:
i dont remove the correctly formatted number, i just add it again in the following way.
example: +81 084 3000 1234 (the spaces in this example are put in to make the number easy to understand. in actual practice, do not use spaces or dashes.)
the zero in the grouping 084 should never* be needed when the international dialing prefix and format is used as its used only when you call within a country not internationally. but i have found that adding it in to the format usually solves it for me.
*i believe in the UK and Italy there actually are some dialing sequences that do require this zero for some reason. also, some countries that have converted to newer switching tech sometimes have legacy systems that require the "domestic zero" to still be used.
these exceptions are what i always need to fix.
i had one last week from a mobile phone in Myanmar that the owner has had for some years and a zero is needed for his mobile number to appear...
one more thing: to confirm and force a new sync of yr contacts to correspond to the region that is showing, switch it one time to a different region, then back to the correct region. this will reformat numbers correctly that were entered under a different system....
in one of your photos there is a number with a dash in it. that contact's name will never appear as a name. remove dashes and spaces when you enter numbers. let the software format it for you.
a work place Contact list has contact numbers entered by many people and these people are formatting numbers differently using non-apple devices when they do so. (probably)
in which case, entering the same number again in the same contact is the only way to get names to appear as its not a device or apple software problem but you can mitigate it by entering it in a way that your device understands.
