iPhone notes deleted? iOS 18 bug has a simple fix

As someone who uses the Notes app in all my Apple On my devices, I can imagine how scary it can be to suddenly lose access to all my notes. It actually happened to me a few beta versions of macOS ago. I temporarily lost all the contents of my Notes app on my Mac, so I know the panic that follows a discovery like this.

Apparently there is such a bug on the iPhone at the moment. Some people found that the notes in Notes app disappeared after upgrading to iOS 18. The bug does not seem to have been fixed and may even appear in the latest beta version of iOS 18.2. Luckily, there’s a simple fix, as the iPhone didn’t actually delete any content in the Notes app.

The bug seems to happen after you agree to the new iCloud terms of service on iPhone. The Notes app then briefly disconnects from iCloud, where most or all of your Notes are likely stored. The result is an app that shows no notes, as if they have been deleted.

To write for 9to5MacBenjamin Mayo says he discovered the bug on his iPhone running a beta version of iOS 18.2. The bug appeared shortly after he agreed to the new iCloud terms, although he initially didn’t realize the connection between the two events.

Mayo says the bug appears to be widespread and affects iPhones running various versions of iOS 18. I’m also running the latest beta version of iOS 18.2 on my iPhone 16 Plus, although I haven’t had this issue on my iPhone. I’ve been using iOS 18 betas since Apple first made them available earlier this summer, and I’ve never lost access to my notes.

The solution is very simple. It’s not as simple as closing the app and restarting it, but it’s close. You just need to re-enable Notes sync from the iCloud section of the Settings app:

• Go to the Institutions app
• Crane Your name
• Crane iCloud
• Crane Comments
• Wait for the Sync this iPhone toggle to appear and make sure it is enabled (image above)

Wait a few minutes and then open the Notes app again. All your content should be back. Of course, if it didn’t work the first time you tried it, you should try again. The Notes bug should be fixed eventually.

From the looks of it, it must be some sort of iCloud issue that Apple will likely fix in a future iOS 18 release.