Help gmail contacts issues

[nancyh1990]

My best friend just got placed on probation because she could not locate an important phone number which I personally entered on her Gmail contacts on her desktop. I checked her 4G contacts (view contacts boxes are all checked) and that specific contact is still missing while showing up on her desktop contacts.
Out of curiousity, we checked both of our phones. Just from A-C alone, she is missing 23 contacts and I am missing 41 contacts. The contacts are there on our desktop contacts, but not on the 4G.
I feel guilty since I was the one who talked her into changing from Blackberry.
Her Head Nurse warned that she will have no tolerance for screw ups due to android phones. Apparently, she has same issues before with one of her RNs.
Truthfully, we can't blame her.
What can I do to ensure Gmail contacts more reliable?
Thanks for your help.

 

[jimdroid]

All gmail contacts that you wish to show up on your phone must be in the group My Contacts.

If they aren't, they won't be synced to the phone from the PC.

To make sure all the contacts are synced, just go to gMail Contacts, Select all, then click on the "Groups" button, then click on the checkmark next to "My Contacts."

The next time you sync (usually within minutes), all of the contacts will be there on the phone.

Whenever you add a contact to the PC, make sure it is in the My Contacts group (I believe that gMail puts it in that group by default, but checking is quite easy).

Hope this helps,

jd

 

[JohnJSal]

Also check to see if the contacts are set to auto sync in the Sync settings. If they aren't, then it has to be done manually.

 

[nancyh1990]

Hi there,
All of contacts are my contacts and are auto sync mode.
Thanks

 

[jimdroid]

Do you have any contacts listed in the group "Other Contacts"? If so, check to make sure those are the "missing" contacts and add them to My Contacts. If not, I have no idea - syncing has always worked perfectly for me and all the phones I support.

 

[JohnJSal]

The only other thing I can think of is to go into your Contacts settings (in the People app) and check to make sure that something like "Google" is checked. I can't remember the exact settings and my phone is off right now. Something about which locations the People app pulls your contacts from. The choices are Google and Phone.

 

[nancyh1990]

Do you have any contacts listed in the group "Other Contacts"? If so, check to make sure those are the "missing" contacts and add them to My Contacts. If not, I have no idea - syncing has always worked perfectly for me and all the phones I support.

She has 400s in other contacts. The ones missing, SO FAR, from A-C are in my contacts. BTW, major of those in other contacts are also in the phone. Ditto for me

 

[nancyh1990]

The only other thing I can think of is to go into your Contacts settings (in the People app) and check to make sure that something like "Google" is checked. I can't remember the exact settings and my phone is off right now. Something about which locations the People app pulls your contacts from. The choices are Google and Phone.

As stated, in "view contacts", all boxes are checked.

 

[jimdroid]

She has 400s in other contacts. The ones missing, SO FAR, from A-C are in my contacts. BTW, major of those in other contacts are also in the phone. Ditto for me

So do an experiment. Add a contact, force the sync and see if it goes to the phone.

If it doesn't, I would delete contacts storage and start over with a fresh sync. If that doesn't work, I would once again delete contacts storage on the phone, export all your PC gmail contacts to a file, reimport them all, then sync with the phone.

 

[ceabbott2]

So do an experiment. Add a contact, force the sync and see if it goes to the phone.

If it doesn't, I would delete contacts storage and start over with a fresh sync. If that doesn't work, I would once again delete contacts storage on the phone, export all your PC gmail contacts to a file, reimport them all, then sync with the phone.

I too recently 9/10 lost the ability to sync my contacts. I went into the accounts sync google and when I look at the sync contacts sync gmail sync sync picassa web albums sync calendar all sync except contacts and it always comes back with a little red exclamation point and this statement "Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly." The date it's stuck on is 9/10/10 7:10 am Any ideas why he contacts won't sync.



I did a battery pull

I am running android 2.2 baseband version 2.15.00.07.28 kernel version 2.6.32.15-g746f4f0 htckernel@and18-2 #58 build number damagecontrolv3.5 software number 3.26.651.6 browser version webkit 3.1 pri version 1.40_003 prl version 60670

I recently rooted using unrevoked 3 maybe just unrevoked i know its the clockworkmod

 

[jimdroid]

ceabbott, Can't help you if it's a ROM issue.

I've seen some phones that had the red exclamation point; the problem cleared itself the next day.

I'm sure you've checked all the obvious places (such as making sure you have an internet connection, that auto-sync is on, etc. etc.).

Since yours has been like this for a while, I think the best thing to do is to delete the Contacts Storage data and let the phone resync everything (backup your gMail contacts on your PC first, just in case).

 

[ceabbott2]

Thanks Jim Droid, I really appreciate your reply. It's so weird because I did a test and put in a phone number and no sync to google. Internet connection ok, auto sync is on. I will say after the root and the damage control rom should I flash the radios? The reason I ask is because I don't think my 3g works as well as it used to maybe just because of the new rom. I remember reading on some of these forums some folks flashing their radios. To be quite frank I had help from a super nice guy online who walked me through the root/rom process via a chat. I don't remember flashing any radios though. But I digress I know the sync symbol in my notification bar NEVER goes away. It's like google contacts won't sync. How do I delete the Contacts Storage Data? I have saved my contacts file twice on my laptop I think vcard or something. Won't it just try and resync with the google contacts cloud server if I delete the contacts in my phone? I guess on 9/10 I lost a third of my contacts so thats why I created the save from the google contacts and then imported them back to the phone. So I have them back now if this thing would just sync and leave me alone! Thanks for any suggestions.

Charles

 

[jimdroid]

Hi Charles,
Does your phone sync while on a wi-fi connection?

To delete the contacts storage data, first disable sync (I think you know how to do that, so I won't list the steps), then:

go to any Desktop Screen, press Menu->Settings->Applications->Manage_Applications->Contacts_Storage->Clear_Data.

Then turn sync back on, and all of your contacts should sync back to the phone, and keep syncing.

jd

 

[ceabbott2]

Hi Charles,
Does your phone sync while on a wi-fi connection?

jd

Umm... Everything is syncing in my google account except the contacts portion. It's the one that keeps giving me the error yada yada yada be back shortly with the red exclamation point. I just reentered my wi fi security code last night so if I go somewhere for lunch that has wi fi I'll check. I did the clear data on contacts, problem switched to calendar, clear data on calendar a reboot later all but gmail stuck, uncheck background data and auto sync clear data on contacts and calendar looks good no red exclamation point.... but now calendar and contacts have the old spinning arrows sync beside them? I guess I'll wait a couple of days and see what happens. Oh yeah I did a reboot and a battery pull. Thanks again Jimdroid!

Charles

 

[jimdroid]

Charles,
Sounds like you have more going on that meets the eye. If you can, restore to stock ROM and try everything. If it all works, as I suspect, then it's a ROM issue.
If not, let us know how it goes after a couple of days.

jd

 

[ceabbott2]

I think your right about the rom. I rooted and flashed on 9/10 problems started. Thank you very much JD!

Charles

 

[sk0rpius]

So I have to add all contacts to my gmail even if they dont have an email and then that will sync to the phone? Or is there a way on the phone to back up all my contacts (phone numbers) to gmail?