WhatsApp Group Not Showing Names - Reasons & 8 Fixes

WhatsApp group is a convenient way to communicate with multiple people simultaneously, but it often stops showing some contact names, leaving you frustrated with whom you would want to send messages.

If the WhatsApp group is not showing names on your phone, this happens when the app has not fully synced the Contacts list. To fix this, refresh the Contacts list on WhatsApp to sync. You may also experience this problem if you have not added the group member to your contacts.

In this article, we’ll explore why WhatsApp group is not showing contact names and what steps you can take to resolve this frustrating issue.

Why are contact names not showing in the WhatsApp group?

Below are some reasons why WhatsApp group is not showing names on the individual contacts or group list.

Group contacts are not synced on the app or saved on the phone.
The profile name of the group member is not set.
Software bugs in the app code or corrupt WhatsApp cache.
Outdated WhatsApp or phone software.
Restricted contact permission for WhatsApp.

How do I get a WhatsApp group to show names?

To get the WhatsApp group to start showing names, here are some tried and tested solutions that have proven to work for many users.

Add Group Members To Your Contacts

You might not have added group members to your contact list on your phone, so that could be why WhatsApp is not showing you their names.

To resolve this, add the group member to your WhatsApp contacts with these steps:

Android:

Open “WhatsApp.”
Open the group and tap its name to go to info.
Go to the “Participants” section.
Tap the phone number of a group member.
Tap “Add to Contacts.”
Enter the name of the group member.
Tap “Save.”

iPhone:

Open “WhatsApp.”
Open the group and note down the member’s phone number.
Go back to the main screen on WhatsApp.
Tap “Chats.”
Tap the “Pencil” icon.
Select “New Contact.”

Enter the phone number and name.
Tap “Save.”

Now, open the WhatsApp group again and see if the app shows the names under participant details.

Ask Group Member To Set Profile Name

It is also possible that the group member has not set their profile names on their WhatsApp account. Due to this, the app does not show the name next to their phone number.

To rectify this and avoid adding their number to your contact list, ask the group members to set their profile names by directing them this way:

Android:

Open “WhatsApp.”
Tap the three dots.
Select “Settings.”
Tap your Profile.
Tap “Name.”
Enter the profile name.
Tap “Save.”

iPhone:

Open “WhatsApp.”
Choose “Settings.”
Tap on your profile.
Tap the given field right below your profile picture.
Enter your profile name.
Tap “Done.”

Once the group members set their profile names, open the group info, go to the “Participants” section, and verify the fix.

Refresh WhatsApp Contacts

When your saved phone contacts are not fully synced on WhatsApp, the app won’t pick them up and will only show you their contact numbers in the group.

To prevent this, refresh the contacts on WhatsApp by following the steps given below:

Android:

Open “WhatsApp.”
Tap the “Chat” icon.
Tap the three dots.
Select “Refresh.”

iPhone:

Open “WhatsApp.”
Go to “Chats.”
Pull down the chat list to refresh the contacts on WhatsApp.

After doing this, open the WhatsApp group and see if it shows the contact names now.

Check WhatsApp Contacts Permission

WhatsApp needs permission to access the contacts list saved on your phone to show their names in the chats or groups; Otherwise, you’ll only see their phone numbers.

The solution here is to allow the app to get access to your contact list on your phone. Here’s how:

Android:

Open “Settings.”
Tap “Privacy” or “Privacy and Security.”
Tap “Permission Manager.”
Select “Contacts.”
Tap “WhatsApp.”
Select “Allow.”

iPhone:

Open “Settings.”
Tap “Privacy & Security.”
Tap “Contacts.”
Toggle on “WhatsApp.”

After that, open a WhatsApp group, check the details of the group participants, and see if the problem persists.

Clear WhatsApp Cache

A corrupt WhatsApp cache often causes it to display incorrect or incomplete information, including contact names.

To make this right, clear the WhatsApp cache on your Android or iPhone. To do this:

Android:

Open “Settings.”
Select “Apps.”
Tap “All Apps.”
Tap “WhatsApp.”
Choose “Storage.”
Tap “Clear Cache.”
Select “Clear Data.”
Tap “OK.”

iPhone:

Open “Settings.”
Go to “General.”
Select “iPhone Storage.”
Tap “WhatsApp.”
Select “Offload App.”
Choose “Offload App.”

Update WhatsApp

If you’re using an outdated app, it might not be fully compatible with the latest version other group members use. This could result in the display or other issues, such as not showing member names or the app keep saying connecting during calls.

To fix this, update WhatsApp on your phone in the following way:

Android:

Launch “Play Store.”
Tap your Profile icon.
Go to “Manage Apps and Devices” > “Updates Available.”
Select “WhatsApp.”
Select “Update.”

iPhone:

Open “App Store.”
Tap the Profile icon.
Go to “Available Updates.”
Head to “WhatsApp.”
Select “Update.”

Update Mobile Phone Firmware

Another solution to fix the problem on WhatsApp is to keep your phone firmware up to date. This will remove any compatibility problems causing the app not to show group member names. Here’s how:

Android:

Open “Settings.”
Select“System Updates” / “Software Updates.”
Select “Download and Install.”
Tap “Install Now” to update your phone to the latest version.

iPhone:

Open “Settings.”
Go to “General” > “Software Updates.”
Tap “Automatic Updates.”
Toggle on “Download iOS Updates.”
Do the same for “Install iOS Updates” to allow your iPhone to keep its firmware updated automatically.

Reinstall WhatsApp

If all of the above solutions fail, reinstall WhatsApp on your mobile phone to get a fresh app copy, and hopefully, it won’t have any software bugs causing the issue. Here’s how:

Android: