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You are here: Home / iPhone / iPhone 4S: Phone numbers not formatting properly

iPhone 4S: Phone numbers not formatting properly

By SK 13 comments Last updated October 28, 2011

Several people have reported problems regarding phone numbers not displaying correctly on iPhone 4S. The first issue is that phone numbers are not displaying properly; meaning that phone numbers are displayed as 3125551212 instead of (312) 555-1212. The second issue was that call lists do not show the associated contact name even though the numbers are in the address book.


This seems to only affect Verizon devices. To fix this problem, dial *228 (this is Verizon’s over-the-air programming number). Press the “1” key on your phone to program or activate your phone. Wait while Verizon updates your phone. When the call is completed, open the Task Manager and kill the Phone, Message, and Contacts Applications. This should fix this problem.

sudz - apple
SK( Managing Editor )

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.

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Show 13 Comments

  1. nep says

    May 23, 2013 at 5:19 PM

    same here in the Philippines. also when i browse the internet. foreign language is used.

    Reply
  2. Bobby says

    February 10, 2013 at 9:50 AM

    This don’t work for Tmobile iPhone 4s

    Reply
  3. Cynthia says

    December 4, 2012 at 12:12 AM

    I was having the same problems with my iPhone 4 on AT&T services. I went through a lot of my contacts to see if my phone had the international number inadvertently added to a contact. Since I have too many contacts, I realized that it had to be a program that was recently updated that has access to my contact list. I immediately went to Facebook and disconnected it from use of my contact list and my names associated with people that were originally in my contact list came back. SO with FB numerous updates and them having access to all of your personal data on your phone is not a really good idea.

    Just go to your Settings; scroll down to Facebook; under “allow these apps to use your accoung:” turn off contacts button.

    I hope this helps.

    Reply
  4. stanley says

    April 25, 2012 at 1:08 PM

    i am in south africa

    Reply
  5. stanley says

    April 25, 2012 at 1:06 PM

    contacts do not formet well in my iphone 4s need help

    Reply
  6. runnerdan says

    January 21, 2012 at 4:59 PM

    Thanks for the tip. I found that you don’t need to do the Task Manager bit.

    Reply
  7. Ben52646 says

    November 20, 2011 at 6:26 PM

    HERE IS THE FIX!!!!!

    Okay, here is how you fix this problem:

    STEP 1. First you have to dial *228 on your iPhone 4S. You should note that *228 is a Verizon over-the-air programming number.

    STEP 2. Wait for sometime until the system responds, then you have to press “1″ to “Program or activate your phone”.

    STEP 3. After sometime the system will say, “Settings updated”. Then you have to wait until the call disconnects.

    STEP 4. Now double click the Home Button of your iPhone 4S to open the Task Manager.

    STEP 5. Now close Phone, Message, and Contacts Applications on your iPhone 4S.

    STEP 6. After waiting for five minutes, open the Message App on your iPhone 4S to check the fix.

    That’s it. In this way you can fix iOS 5.0.1 contact bug on your iPhone 4S. If you are not able to fix this issue after using the above steps then again you have to close the Message App and restart your iPhone 4S. It is expected that soon Apple will release iOS 5.0.2 to fix this issue.

    Reply
    • Dana says

      June 4, 2012 at 3:44 AM

      Does this also work for ios 5.1?
      *228 is not calling..

      Reply
    • Bobby says

      February 10, 2013 at 9:49 AM

      This don’t work for Tmobile iPhone 4s

      Reply
  8. Clontie says

    November 12, 2011 at 9:36 AM

    This worked for us as well!

    Reply
  9. walker says

    November 9, 2011 at 10:44 AM

    This worked!

    Tags iPhone4S, Verizon, Phone Number Formatting Issue, iPhone 4S phone numbers not formatted correctly, SOLUTIONS

    Reply
    • irey says

      November 12, 2011 at 8:26 AM

      same here in Maldives (Asia) not only verizon 🙁

      Reply
  10. jacko says

    November 3, 2011 at 9:18 PM

    Same for me, operating on Telecom New Zealand (but currently “roaming” in Singapore), so not just Verizon

    Reply

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