Help Sync Google Apps Directory to Android Contacts

[waimea95]

Hello,

I am hoping someone can assist with this question. I have been searching Google and this forum but have not been able to find a solution. I have a Motorola Droid (running 2.2). My company uses Google Apps for their e-mail, calendar and phone directory. I have my personal Gmail account setup as the primary account on the phone and my corporate Google Apps account as additional account. I can see my mail, calendar and contacts just fine for both accounts. In Google Apps there is a corporate directory that I can search from while using it on my desktop. Is there a way to see the Google Apps Directory contacts on my Android phone contacts or elsewhere on the phone? If someone is not already in my own contacts, I would like to be able to lookup their phone number in the contacts on my phone from the Google Apps Directory. Is this possible? My boss has a Motorola Droid X with 2.1. Can this be done in 2.1 also?

Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
Jason

 

[Steven58]

Welcome Jason. I'm going to move your post to the droid support section, where someone who knows that phone, can help you. While you're there, please take a look around.

 

[waimea95]

Thank you, Steven.

 

[johnlgalt]

IIRC, there was no contact synchronizing with GAFYD previously - but I haven't bothered trying now.

I will say that since I have been running on 2.2 whenever I create a new contact I am asked which of my own accounts (2 regular GMail accounts and one GAFYD account) I want to create it under, so I am guessing that there is some support for it now.

If I understand you correctly, you want to keep your main account's contacts separate and be able to browse the GA contacts separately, though, right? Not sure if that can be done.

From what I can see, it does look like you are able to synchronize GAFYD contacts now to your phone (and not that I think about it, I believe it might have been possible under 2.1 as well, just don't remember any more....) but I am not sure if you allowed both lists to be synchronized if both sets of lists would be mirrored or not. I would nope not but I cannot be sure.

I can try it with my contacts later on tonight and see if it makes a difference - but I suspect that this would put both sets of contacts into one list on your phone....

 

[waimea95]

Hello John,

I don't need to keep the accounts contacts separate. Right now when I open Contacts on my phone I see the contacts that are in both my personal Gmail and my Google apps contacts (the contacts that I entered into Google Apps) in the same screen. In Google Apps we have a company directory with every employee's phone number, e-mail address, etc. listed. This is kind of like the Outlook Address Book if you are familiar with using Outlook in a corporate environment. I am hoping that this directory can be viewed on an Android phone also.

 

[johnlgalt]

My apologies - I mistakenly assumed the directory was in fact another source for contacts.

I suppose the workaround, if this cannot be achieved directly, would be to export the contacts from the directory and import them into your account, but that might make your contact list ... huge. lol.

I honestly do not know if this can be done or not. I will, however, keep my eyes and ears open (and hope that someone else using a GAFYD account can chime in and expound upon this issue).

 

[bufke]

I'm running Android 2.2 and cannot access my google apps directory. We just switched from Exchange and I had no problems doing this with Exchanges GAL. It's absurd to think Google supports Exchange better than Google Apps but it appears to be the case.

 

[waimea95]

This is shameful. With all of the companies moving to and PAYING FOR Google Apps this has to be something they are working on. Hopefully it will be sooner than later... If someone figures out a way to see the Google Apps Directory I would certainly appreciate it.

 

[bufke]

I emailed Google Apps support, they said they are aware of the problem and are working on it but didn't give me a date.

 

[waimea95]

When you hear back from Google, do you mind letting me know?

 

[bufke]

Great news, I figured out you can actually use Active Sync (or as Google calls it Google Sync) to get the global contacts. In your Google Apps admin panel enable Google Sync in the mobile settings. Now on your Android phone (I'm using 2.2) Set up a "Corporate" account. Select "Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync" Use m.google.com as the server. For you Domain/Username use user@yourdomain.com

It's weird Google doesn't really seem to suggest this configuration anywhere but it works well. You can even do things like remote wipe with it. Note that you cannot use the gmail app with this configuration, you have to use the Generic Email app but it still does push email.

 

[waimea95]

Great news, I figured out you can actually use Active Sync (or as Google calls it Google Sync) to get the global contacts. In your Google Apps admin panel enable Google Sync in the mobile settings. Now on your Android phone (I'm using 2.2) Set up a "Corporate" account. Select "Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync" Use m.google.com as the server. For you Domain/Username use user@yourdomain.com

It's weird Google doesn't really seem to suggest this configuration anywhere but it works well. You can even do things like remote wipe with it. Note that you cannot use the gmail app with this configuration, you have to use the Generic Email app but it still does push email.

Thank you for letting me know. How do access the GAFYD directory? Can you search the GAFYD directory or does it add all the contacts from the directory to your phone contacts?

 

[bufke]

How do access the GAFYD directory?

It works the same way it would with an Exchange server. You go to the generic email app, compose an email, and start typing the contact's name. It immediately displays any contact names stored locally (synced) then after a second or 2 it shows the directory contacts. This requires an internet connection. It will not add all the directory contacts to your phone contacts. If you have ldap elsewhere than Google you could conceivably run their ldap sync tool and thus access all your ldap contacts on your Android phone.

 

[bufke]

Can someone verify a possible problem I'm having. When I'm connected over wifi I can no longer use Active Sync as described here. I can ping m.google.com so it's not my network. Android bug perhaps?