Can’t search contact in list

In iOS 27, the Contacts search field is at the bottom of the contact list. Apple says you can search by name, phone number, address, or other contact information.

If searches return no results, tap Lists first and choose All Contacts (or All iCloud if that’s where your contacts are stored), then pull down on the list to refresh it and try again. Apple recommends refreshing the Contacts list this way when contacts aren’t behaving as expected.

If the search box is there but simply returns nothing for contacts you can clearly see in the list, that would help narrow it down.