Syncing contacts - general discussion

[hcseidelin]

Hey guys (and girls, transgender, intersex, queer and however you construct or deconstruct your gender identity)

So, I looked around for that general discussion of Google contacts. I don't want to begin a discussion of data safety (should your friends' data be in the hands of google? Is "the cloud" a safe place? etc) or dogma (is syncing good, bad, inevitable); I want to put my thoughts out there and see if I'm missing something that someone has already thought out.

My outset is this: I want to sync contacts.
The days of "this data is exclusively on my phone" and "this data is exclusively in my e-mail" is over for me. But there is still a difference between what is useful to me on a super-portable device (handset) used not least for calling, texting and on-the-fly data checks, and a less portable device (laptop) used not least for writing and overview.
My contacts contain many kinds of data, multiple phone numbers, addresses, b'days, notes and stuff.

The following is my findings:
- Android seems to think that syncing contacts with Exchange is bad. Maybe it's a Google vs. Microsoft thing. I don't know. Can't make it work for contacts unless using a third party client.
- When syncing contacts with Google I can only sync ALL my gmail contacts or NONE.

My dilemma is this: I can't sync with either platform without a mess!
In the blue corner: I have in my Outlook Exchange my telephone contacts. This is because my previous phone was WinMo, not because I love Outlook.
Syncing: Either via a third party client (which has yet to work for me) or I can stuff them in a CSV-file and put them on my handset - but then I can't sync them and every subsequent update will only exist on the handset.
In the red corner: I have in my Gmail account a huge mess of e-mail receipients. Syncing between handset and Google is hella easy. But many, many of the Gmail contacts I very seldom use, and only for e-mailing.

To sum up rhetorically: Am I the only one to think that my handset Contact list should consist of SOME of my Gmail contacts (e.g. those with a phone number attached to them) rather than ALL of them?

I think I need a separate site: contacts.google.com where I can decide what contacts I want to share between which platforms, sites and clients.

</Rant>

Now help me: I want to leave Exchange behind. I want to sync with Google. Not one-off import from Google, but sync. How do I NOT get every last person I ever sent an e-mail to clogging up my handset's phonebook?

Your views and answers below

HC

PS: I feel silly posting this under the "Hero" subforum since this is much more of a general Google related discussion. But I was told this'd be the place. Feel free to move the thread

 

[mario23]

Whatever happened to Google Contact Sync???

Calendar sync solved one concern for me.
Now if only we could get a solid contact sync...

 

[mjschmidt]

Some of this thread might help: http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/9687-syncing-contacts-general-discussion.html

 

[cwrig]

Yes, I understand you desire to do selective syncs. I initially was in the same boat.

But, I soon saw the elegance of how well google contacts sync. So, I jumped fully in the google camp, use exclusively gmail and put all my contacts in gmail. It just works really well. Maybe I caved in, or maybe I saw the light. Im not sure.

I just know if my phone explodes, I power up a new one and in 2-3 minutes all 500 of my contacts will appear on my phone, along with my calendar. Im hooked.

 

[JoeC]

I just know if my phone explodes, I power up a new one and in 2-3 minutes all 500 of my contacts will appear on my phone, along with my calendar. Im hooked.

Yeah, right on cwrig! It's hard to beat, isn't it? Finally, synchronization done well.

 

[sonisoe]

am new to gmail...frankly all the good things i've heard & android OS ticked me to set up a gmail, so i'm still learning... what i've found out so far, i'm sort of amazed with the contact-sync capability between android (my htc hero) and this gmail acct.... still though, wish that i could select/group contacts that i want to sync from gmail to android or vice/versa... or is the capability there ?

 

[hcseidelin]

Some of this thread might help: http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/9687-syncing-contacts-general-discussion.html

MJ, aren't you referring to this very thread?

 

[hotweldfire]

I had the same dilemma and ended up using both although it took a lot of work. I keep my work contacts on my exchange server and personal on my Google account.

I had to export all my exchange accounts out to an .xls file, delete the work ones then import the rest to Google. I then deleted those personal contacts from Exchange and any work contacts from Google.

The final, particularly painful step, was merging personal contacts and getting rid of the dross. This took ages as I've not kept my gmail contacts very tidy.

However, I now have it setup and it's working beautifully.

 

[hcseidelin]

[...] wish that i could select/group contacts that i want to sync from gmail to android or vice/versa... or is the capability there ?

I, myself, am asking that very same question. Sofar it seems there's not the capability.
New info: See Slug's post #10

 

[Slug]

Sofar it seems there's not the capability.

People - Groups - Menu - Sync Groups

Any user-defined groups set up in Gmail should be visible here. The default Family/Friends/Colleagues aren't, unfortunately.

 

[hcseidelin]

... put all my contacts in gmail. It just works really well. Maybe I caved in, or maybe I saw the light. Im not sure.

I do see the point, but synchonizing with google means synchronizing with gmail. For me that means 800+ contacts, many of whom I never have spoken to on the phone. I do realize that the Android handset is more than a telephone, so these contacts could all be handy for email and whatnot. If only Android then had a way of sorting so that when I want to place a call or write a text I don't get all the contacts without a phone number.

For google and Android there's a whole shift (in paradigm) in the way we use contacts when merging the traditinal handset contact list, e-mail contact list, facebook contact list etc. This shift has been facilitated (i.e. the syncing works great) but not properly addressed (i.e. do we want this no-difference-between-platforms syncing?).

 

[hcseidelin]

People - Groups - Menu - Sync Groups

Any user-defined groups set up in Gmail should be visible here. The default Family/Friends/Colleagues aren't, unfortunately.

OK, well, that's a functionality that has something going for it. Will check it out. There goes the automatic syncing though, doesn't it? Or do the chosen groups sync automatically, then?

Would be nice if the groups were more integrated in other people-related menus, e.g. when composing a text in Messages or when placing a call. In messages I don't see a way to not get all contacts on a list. In Phone I can choose Favorites and then groups, then choose the group, then members.

I mostly see the flaws of this, I know. This "syncing groups" thing I will definitely look at. Thanks.

 

[Slug]

There goes the automatic syncing though, doesn't it? Or do the chosen groups sync automatically, then?

The latter. You're simply selecting which groups you wish to sync rather than All Contacts.

 

[sfx]

I love my new Hero but the syncing/facebook integration has irked me a little with its odd behaviour...

I synced my Hero with Outlook initially, and today switched on Google contacts syncing too. The contacts on Google were all from a .csv file I imported from Outlook as I don't really use GMail. On the drop down menu on the Hero, the option was selected to prioritise contacts from the phone in the event of a clash.

A few hours later all of the contacts listed as "phone" have gone and now I only have the "Google" contacts. (They're the same, sure, but why have they overwritten my phone contacts?)

Also, on a day-to-day basis people's facebook photos disappear from my contacts list. Some contacts just refuse to take the photos from facebook.

I love this phone but it's these inconsistencies which are annoying.

(I have a white unbranded Hero with the new ROM installed)

 

[Slug]

I synced my Hero with Outlook initially, and today switched on Google contacts syncing too. The contacts on Google were all from a .csv file I imported from Outlook as I don't really use GMail. On the drop down menu on the Hero, the option was selected to prioritise contacts from the phone in the event of a clash.

A few hours later all of the contacts listed as "phone" have gone and now I only have the "Google" contacts. (They're the same, sure, but why have they overwritten my phone contacts?)

Do you have both "Google and "phone" contacts selected in View? They should still be there; I ran duplicate contacts like this for a couple of weeks until I decided to switch to Google completely.

 

[sfx]

Yep, both "google" and "phone" boxes are checked. Now where it had (400 or so) after phone it has (0). But it has (400 or so) after Google...

odd.

 

[rob.bendig]

My phone (HTC Magic) has all of my "work" contacts synced to it (via HTC Sync) and has pulled down my Google Gmail contacts.

But...

My contacts ("work" or those created on the phone) will not sync up to Gmail. The only ones that seem to sync are those created in Gmail! How do I get everything to sync back to Gmail?

Ultimately, I want a single common contact list and I want to know that the list in Gmail is complete (even for entries that only include a phone number).

(and then there's Google Voice contacts but I'll deal with that later)...

Android...Great phone....BUT....

 

[punkzanyj]

there's a handy app out there now called "Contacts GroupU" and it allows you to:
-Create New Groups
-Tap and hold a group name and it gives you the option to -
-Send SMS/MMS
-Send Email
-Set Ringtone

and much more. Seems to also have checkboxes for the contacts so that you can send to just some of the group, or move them to other groups, create new groups. Just got it the other day, haven't played with it much.


What's nice is if I choose, say, "send email" it then asks me if I want to send it with Gmail or with K-9 (3rd party email client). You can even check the "use by default box" so that it always chooses that option.

If I choose, "send sms/mms) it then asks if I want to send it with the default messaging program or with Google Voice.

I probably won't use it as often as you guys do, but it's nice to be able to have the option. Thought I'd pass it along.

 

[QuiQNeZZ]

People - Groups - Menu - Sync Groups

Any user-defined groups set up in Gmail should be visible here. The default Family/Friends/Colleagues aren't, unfortunately.

What about the "My contacts" group in Gmail? I had it originally setup with "All contacts" till I found out about the auto email adding feature that gmail STILL refuses to allow users to shut off. So every email address that would come through my box was being added to my contacts.

It seems that the "My contacts" group doesn't get these emails addresses automatically added to it so I wanted to sync with that group instead, that way I can better manage that group and not get all those unwanted contacts added till gmail fixes this auto adding feature.

Problem is I don't see the "My contacts" group listed. Someone else in another forum stated that it should be there to select but all I see is the "All contacts" group and the other groups that I created.

As a work around I created a "Hero Mobile" group which has all the contacts on my phone that I want up on gmaill now.

But how do I get access to "My contacts" again if that's even possible?

 

[JoeC]

What about the "My contacts" group in Gmail? I had it originally setup with "All contacts" till I found out about the auto email adding feature that gmail STILL refuses to allow users to shut off. So every email address that would come through my box was being added to my contacts.

It seems that the "My contacts" group doesn't get these emails addresses automatically added to it so I wanted to sync with that group instead, that way I can better manage that group and not get all those unwanted contacts added till gmail fixes this auto adding feature.

Problem is I don't see the "My contacts" group listed. Someone else in another forum stated that it should be there to select but all I see is the "All contacts" group and the other groups that I created.

As a work around I created a "Hero Mobile" group which has all the contacts on my phone that I want up on gmaill now.

But how do I get access to "My contacts" again if that's even possible?

This is totally unnecessary. Do this:
People -> select the Groups tab (middle icon) -> Menu button -> Sync groups

Simply select My Contacts and uncheck Sync all contacts

 

[QuiQNeZZ]

This is totally unnecessary. Do this:
People -> select the Groups tab (middle icon) -> Menu button -> Sync groups

Simply select My Contacts and uncheck Sync all contacts

This is what I was asking, I seem to NOT have this option come up in groups. I only see "All my contacts" and the groups which I created on the phone. Unless I somehow unselected it before thinking it was the "All my contacts"?? But why isn't showing up anymore like the "All my contacts" group is even though it's unchecked?

Gonna try to unsync everything and try again maybe?

 

[JoeC]

If you go into the Contacts on the website (GMail), do you actually see the groups listed? I have My Contacts (in bold), Most Contacted, and All Contacts.

Are you seeing that list on the web site?

 

[QuiQNeZZ]

If you go into the Contacts on the website (GMail), do you actually see the groups listed? I have My Contacts (in bold), Most Contacted, and All Contacts.

Are you seeing that list on the web site?

Yes, I see "My contacts" up top then seperated by a line is all my groups like the Friends, Family, coworkers and the groups I created on my phone with all the contacts in them.

Then seperated by another line is the "All contacts" and "Most contacted" at the bottom.

 

[JoeC]

OK, excellent, as that's what I see.

Is the number of contacts in My Groups a subset of the number of contacts in All Contacts? For instance, I have 89 contacts in My Contacts and 151 in All Contacts.

Try paring some contacts from My Contacts if you haven't already.

 

[QuiQNeZZ]

OK, excellent, as that's what I see.

Is the number of contacts in My Groups a subset of the number of contacts in All Contacts? For instance, I have 89 contacts in My Contacts and 151 in All Contacts.

Try paring some contacts from My Contacts if you haven't already.

Yes it seems like it, I have already merged all the contacts I have and cleaned it all up before getting the hero. I'm gonna try clearing out the gmail account from the phone and reconnecting it to see if that works. If not it looks like my last resort is a hard reset.