Peculiar behavior using google contacts

[csal80]

Hi, I noticed some strange behavior when working with contact records using google. I currently have google set up to sync my contacts via an exchange server. I noticed that if I were to delete a contact record on my phone, it does not delete on the google website, but if I were to delete a contact on the website it would be deleted on my phone as expected. Furthermore, what is the purpose of the separate contact group list called gmail global address list? It appears that this exactly mirrors the website, so based on what I said above, if I delete a contact in my contact list, it does not disappear in the global list. You could easily test this out by creating a dummy contact on your phone. Let me know if you experience this too. Thanks.

 

[Massie]

I don't have the chance to test this right now, but I believe the way mine works is that I have a Global list which lives in the cloud, and within that is a list called My Contacts, which is what gets synced to my phone. So when you delete something from the phone, it deletes it from My Contacts but not your Global list (which is ALL your contacts, whether or not they are synced to your phone). If you use iTunes, you can kind of think of it in the same way your Music library contains different playlists--you can have as little or as much music as you want in playlists and change/delete them at will without affecting your overall Music library.

This works great for me, since I don't want every person in my email contact list to appear as a contact on my iphone.

 

[csal80]

I don't have the chance to test this right now, but I believe the way mine works is that I have a Global list which lives in the cloud, and within that is a list called My Contacts, which is what gets synced to my phone. So when you delete something from the phone, it deletes it from My Contacts but not your Global list (which is ALL your contacts, whether or not they are synced to your phone). If you use iTunes, you can kind of think of it in the same way your Music library contains different playlists--you can have as little or as much music as you want in playlists and change/delete them at will without affecting your overall Music library.

This works great for me, since I don't want every person in my email contact list to appear as a contact on my iphone.

I hear what you are saying but what appeals to me is the my phone is a mirror replica of my google account and vice versa. I expect that if I decide that I do not want a contact in my address book (let's say an ex for argument sake) and I delete on my phone, then that is reflective in the cloud ... after all, isn't that part of the point of the cloud?

 

[noaim]

I hear what you are saying but what appeals to me is the my phone is a mirror replica of my google account and vice versa. I expect that if I decide that I do not want a contact in my address book (let's say an ex for argument sake) and I delete on my phone, then that is reflective in the cloud ... after all, isn't that part of the point of the cloud?

Well unfortunately you will have to take it up with google they designed there sync services to
Work that way it's not the iPhones fault. When gmail first came out everyone who ever emailed you would go into your contacts that was a real pain google has never done contacts right but I love their email service


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[csal80]

Well unfortunately you will have to take it up with google they designed there sync services to
Work that way it's not the iPhones fault. When gmail first came out everyone who ever emailed you would go into your contacts that was a real pain google has never done contacts right but I love their email service


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

doesn't every exchange set up work this way?

 

[Massie]

Not sure if this will help, but have a look at this page about setting up Google Sync:
Setting up Google Sync with your iOS device - Google Mobile Help

In particular, see this section:

"If you want to sync only the My Contacts group, you must choose to Delete Existing Contacts during the Google Sync install when prompted. If you choose to keep existing contacts, it will sync the contents of the All Contacts group instead. If there are no contacts on your phone, the latter will happen -- the contents of your All Contacts group will be synced."

 

[noaim]

doesn't every exchange set up work this way?

You know that's a good question I don't have my phone connected to a ms exchange service but what I'm guessing is that it would delete from personal contacts and not the global exchange list but in a corporation that's much more important because more then one person uses the global exchange list on google there is typically no need because only you are using it.


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[bonesb]

doesn't every exchange set up work this way?

Thanks for the laugh at your expense. What's Exchange? Another post that just gets me rolling my eyes. Doesn't anyone read what Google has on their Help site first? I guess a more than a few don't...

Google offers us limited sync across platforms, and they call it Google Sync. Google tells us to use the "Exchange" account type in our iOS devices, but it's Google Sync. Google Sync is a sync service, that's all. They tell us what platforms sync what and how. Google licensed MS Exchange ActiveSync, then implemented selected parts of EAS in what Google calls Google Sync. Each platform gets a different set of data that gets mapped across platforms, and Google tells us what they map across platforms.

Google has a contacts format. Outlook has a contacts format. iOS has a contacts format. None of them are fully compatible with each other - if anyone tells you they are and they should just work just doesn't have a clue.

Exchange ActiveSync and Google Sync are sync platforms. There is no such thing as "Exchange". "Exchange" is a brand name, not a product. Like Kleenex are tissues, it's a brand name used to sell products.

Take any one of your contacts, and export it to an Outlook CSV file and to a Google CSV file, then open them in Word or Excel, then you'll see the difference. Or, you'll rant here without researching what I'm writing about.

As for syncing an Exchange Server with Google's products, good luck with that! Their Outlook Connector is a patch, a converter. When, not if, the connection to the cloud gets interrupted - and it will, you'll see duplicates and changed files (contacts, calendars). I pay for Google Apps, and it just isn't cutting it. Stand by their product. Their email is great, including Postini Services at no additional charge, but they just don't get contacts and calendars. I figured that out, and am moving to a hosted Exchange Server and collocated Snow Leopard for contacts and calendaring. But, I did RTFM and tried working with it.

Thanks for the laugh!

 

[Peligro911]

Didn't notice it but now I do .. But this is how your able to
say you email someone a couple times and there not a contact and when u type there email it remembers the email address in the list.

And honestly I think u can go online and remove them If u want but on your phone just select all contacts and out of sight and searches

If I delete a contact on my phone is does delete on the computer but just not on the global list and same vise versa


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[bonesb]

And honestly I think u can go online and remove them If u want but on your phone just select all contacts and out of sight and searches

You think? Um, no. Word.

 

[Michmeister]

Have a drink


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[Peligro911]

You think? Um, no. Word.

Huh?


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