Some iPhone users are reporting a dreaded bug in the Notes app on their iPhone. After agreeing to the new iCloud terms as prompted, the Notes app disconnects from iCloud and instead displays a screen with zero notes, as if all of the user’s notes have been deleted.
This happened to me on my phone running iOS 18.2. Judging by the number of social media posts from disgruntled users worried that all of their notes are now gone forever, this is a relatively common bug that affects iPhones running any version of iOS 18. Luckily, there’s a fix…
You'll know if this error affects you because you'll open the Notes app and suddenly see no content. In my case, the iCloud Notes section was completely gone, replaced by an empty “On My iPhone” group. Force quitting the Notes app didn't change anything.
This happened the same day I accepted the new iCloud Terms and Conditions on my phone. I didn't associate the two things as related at first, but based on social media posts from other people, that's how the error occurs.
Top comment from DreamChaser
Mine still disappeared after following the instructions. I had already turned the toggle on. After a moment's hesitation, I turned it off and then back on (it warns that this will delete all notes), then rebooted the phone. Then it worked.
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For some people, this seems to be a temporary glitch that goes away on its own and the notes appear quickly afterwards. For others, including me, it hasn't fixed itself. Luckily, the proactive steps to fix it are simple and straightforward.
How to Fix Notes Vanished Glitch
- Go to Settings -> [your name] -> iCloud -> Notes.
- Wait for the “Sync This iPhone” toggle to appear and make sure it's turned on.
- Wait a couple of seconds and then open the Notes app again.
- The Notes app should now spring into action and start re-downloading all of your notes from iCloud.
It may take a while for all your notes to come back. It took me about ten minutes to get all my notes and shared notes back to my phone. But now everything is back to how it was.
If this fix didn't work for you, and the toggle was already on when you checked the iCloud settings screen, you can also try turning it off, back on, and restarting your phone. If prompted, be sure to choose to keep notes on this device.
At least based on current knowledge, there is no risk of permanent data loss. Notes remain accessible on other devices and sync back to the iPhone once the bug is fixed. It's unclear if Apple has taken steps to prevent this bug from affecting other iPhone users.
