Google stock Android People/Contacts app

[gtbarry]

People/Contacts has been driving me crazy. I honestly have never had a handle on this app. So, two things:

1) Is there a place anyone can point me to where I can actually learn about this app? How it gets what, from what, and why and how? I have quite a few duplicate contacts with slightly different info that overlap occasionally. When I try merge, they just split up again later.

2) People/Contacts decided it would be fun to delete all the photos I added to contacts (the people who don't have a contact photo automatically from whatsapp, skype, google etc.). This I spent a lot of time doing and find very handy when texting - to assure I am texting the right thing to the right person when I am trying to reply quickly. Anyone know how to fix this? For 3-6 months no problems, then POOF they vanished.

Even odder....Google contacts in my gmail has all the contact photos when I look on my computer. But despite sync being checked, it is not syncing the contact photos I did manually.

The app is officially called "People" in stock Android 4.2.2.
I am syncing the following accounts: Google, Skype contacts and Whatsapp contacts (as I have been for many months).

Thanks!

 

[funkylogik]

Im on a CM based 4.2.2 rom bro n i dont have the People app.. just Phone and Phone/Messaging Storage

 

[chanchan05]

What phone do you have?

 

[gtbarry]

Galaxy Nexus. Stock all. Android 4.2.2

I did just notice that under Settings > Accounts (Google) > Sync Accounts most things are checked (i.e. Play Magazines is not checked. Stuff I know don't need to be checked I unchecked a long time ago).

- Contacts is checked and sync'd within the last hour.
- Google+ is checked and sync'd within the last hour
- "People Details" is checked and not sync'd since 16 July.

Hopefully this is the issue and temporary

 

[Petrah]

Barry... when you said you used Merge Duplicates, did you use it on the Gmail web interface?

Funkylogik.. when you open the Phone app, at the top do you not see a little People icon that when you tap on it, it opens your contact list (ie;address book)? That should be the People app.

 

[chanchan05]

Funkylogik.. when you open the Phone app, at the top do you not see a little People icon that when you tap on it, it opens your contact list (ie;address book)? That should be the People app.

On some phones it's labeled as "Contacts"

 

[Petrah]

On some phones it's labeled as "Contacts"

Even in the flashed version of Gapps?

 

[gtbarry]

Barry... when you said you used Merge Duplicates, did you use it on the Gmail web interface?

I opened up People/Contacts app on the phone and they had an option to merge contacts. Which was great because I have some that are just one but of info. But then that same info is in a fuller entry for the same person (or I condense them to one).

But after a while, I assume after a sync, they split back up to the way they were prior

 

[Crashdamage]

Contacts can be stored in 3 places.

1. As Google contacts. These are stored on the phone and synced to your Google account (unless sync is turned off).
2. As Phone contacts. These are stored locally on the phone only and not synced.
3. As SIM contacts. Unlike 1+2 above, only names and one number per name can be stored. No addresses, email info, photos, etc.

Your contacts app can be set to display any or all of the above. If you see duplicates then you have those contacts saved in more than one place, for example as both 1+2, and your contacts app is set to display 1+2. So, you see duplicates. Changing the contacts app to display either 1 or 2 but not both eliminates the duplicate contact display.

See your phone manual for more details.