How can I force iPhone to resync contacts from server?

Question

I sync email, contacts and calendar to my company's Exchange server. This morning all of my contacts are gone from my iPhone (iPhone 4, iOS 4.2.1). Facts that further explain:

• My contacts were good last night
• I haven't synched to my computer, updated any apps or changed any settings since then
• I'm getting email and my calendar entries are all good.
• I see all my contacts when I log into the web mail interface to the Exchange server

Is there a way to tell the iPhone to wise up and realize that it has screwed up its contacts?

Answer 1

Maybe you've already tried this but I'll suggest it anyway.

Check Groups

1. Open Contacts
2. Tap the arrow in the upper-left corner labelled Groups if it exists.
3. Ensure you have selected the right group of contacts.

Try Re-Sync

If you need to re-sync because the above did not work you could try this:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Open Accounts & Passwords (or the Mail section on older iOS).
3. Select the account causing problems. (Usually called Exchange.)
4. Turn Contacts off and tap ‘Delete From My iPhone’ when prompted.
5. Turn Contacts back on and tap ‘Sync’ when prompted.

Answer 2

Above trick worked perfectly for my iPhone 5S. Thank you very much. After my new carrier asked me to reset ALL on my phone, I had lost everything, Google contacts, emails, etc.

If you need to re-sync because the above did not work you could try this: Open the Settings app Open the Mail settings. (This is listed as Mail, Contacts, Calendars on older iPhones.) Select the account causing problems. (Usually called Exchange.) Turn Contacts off and tap Delete From My iPhone when prompted. Turn Contacts back on and tap Sync when prompted.