One or more of the contacts may be read-only

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

Delete Contact on Other Apps

Usually when trying to delete contacts on your iPhone this error can occur, as your contact list is backed up in your iCloud, because of content restrictions or because the contact has to be deleted on another application first.

If you want to delete a contact who has been created on WhatsApp for example, you should proceed to delete it in your WhatsApp application.

Here, navigate to the contact and tap on Edit. You can then proceed to delete the contact from here.

Disable iCloud Contacts

In case this problem affects your normal contacts too, then open up your settings application. Here, tap on your Apple ID name and select iCloud.

In this list of applications, make sure to disable Contacts for now. This will prevent other devices associated with your Apple ID from having issues when trying to delete a contact.

Content & Privacy Restrictions

When this is done, head back to your main settings and tap on Screen Time. From here, go to your Content & Privacy Restrictions.

Under Contacts, make sure that Allow Changes is selected. This will enable you to delete contacts in the future. You can then proceed to enable contacts to be backed up in your iCloud again.

iPhone Software Update

In case nothing helps you out, then navigate to your Software Update settings. Here, select to download and install the latest update in case there is one available to you.

Restart iPhone

You can then proceed to restart your iPhone. Restarting your device will restart all processes, which can in a lot of cases fix the error you are getting.

• To fix not all contacts were deleted one or more contacts error on iPhone 13, 12 -> Delete the contact from whatsapp and then delete contacts from suggested as well and try deleting contact.
• Delete contacts from other devices that you have logged in with same apple id.

On your iPhone 12 or 13 or 11, X, XR or any other iPhone having iOS 15 version or later or below iOS version when you try to delete contacts from your iPhone you will get to see this error and if you have only read only access to the contact that you have saved from whatsapp or social media sync or whatsapp sync but the contact is not saved on your iPhone then you will get this error of “not all contacts were deleted one or more contacts may be read only.

You need to delete the contacts with read only permission or saved with read only option from other applications like whatsapp or facebook or any other contact sync applications and inorder to get rid of this error not all contacts were deleted on iPhone you need to delete them also.

Below troubleshooting methods will help you get rid of not all contacts were deleted error on iPhone and contacts are with read only permissions on your iPhone.

Step 1: Open whatsapp on your iPhone

Step 2: Now, select the contact that you want to delete from your iPhone whatsapp.

Step 3: Tap on Edit option on Top -> Now tap on delete contact and confirm delete contact in pop up box.

Once you delete the contact from whatsapp app then you need to delte the contact from contacts app suggestions as well.

Step 1: Open phone app on iPhone.

Step 2; Now, select the name -> tap on the suggested name 

Step 3: Tap on don’t suggest contact option.

That’s it, once you delete the contacts from whatsapp app and delete the contact from phone app suggested list then your issue of not all contacts were deleted one or more contacts may be read only permissions issue will be resolved.

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If you are logged in with your apple id on another device like iPad, Mac or any other devices then you need to delete contacts from other devices as well. So, go ahead and delete the contacts from other devices like whatsapp, and also delete suggested apps as well.

You need to import all contacts to icloud like sim contacts to your icloud account and sync them and store all your contacts in iCloud instead of sim contact.

This means that you have imported contacts from other apps like facebook messenger or whatsapp or any other social media or if you have imported contacts from gmail app which are not saved on iPhone then you will experience this issue of not all contacts were deleted error on iPhone and inorder to  fix this issue of not all contacts were deleted then you need to delete the contacts which are not saved on your iPhone.

If your contacts are not saved on your iPhone and the contact is saved from other app then the permissions will be read only permissions and you will not be able to delete the contacts as the contact is not saved on your device.

Shruti is BSC Computer Graduate and Author and Editor at A Savvy Web and She has an expertize and provides solutions and troubleshooting tips and solutions for iPhone, iPad, MacBook and Windows Computers, Android, Smart tv Expert and She is More Enthusiastic in this area of expertise and a Real time expert.

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