How can I stop my text messages from combining with my Fiance's?

[Ledsteplin]

It's one gmail account, not two. That one single gmail account is added to both devices. It works, I've done it/am doing it.



You're right, you can't. That's not what I am suggesting.

This is just an example; create a new gmail account shared4us2@gmail.com and import a copy of your contacts to that account. Add shared4us2@gmail.com to your iPhone and set it to only sync contact info (as in the screenshot I posted above). Then install shared4us2@gmail.com on your wife's iPhone and set it the same way, contacts only. There's no emails being sent through shared4us2@gmail.com, but the contacts are synced regardless of how many devices you add that one specific account to.

You can add shared4us2@gmail.com to as many devices as you want of any type that supports gmail, and every single device will have the same contact list for that specific gmail account. I do this all the time. An iPhone can have several gmail accounts added.

So how do contacts get in the Gmail account?

 

[Sherry_B]

So how do contacts get in the Gmail account?

I started adding mine when Gmail first came out (when it was beta and invite only), so my Gmail account has always been where my main contact list is stored (I use an iPhone app to back them up in vCard format and keep the file zipped with a password in a private Dropbox folder). But for this specific example, sharing a contact list, where you did not already have contacts in a gmail account there's probably a dozen or so easy tutorials on exporting/importing a contact list to or from a Gmail account.

 

[Ledsteplin]

I started adding mine when Gmail first came out (when it was beta and invite only), so my Gmail account has always been where my main contact list is stored (I use an iPhone app to back them up in vCard format and keep the file zipped with a password in a private Dropbox folder). But for this specific example, sharing a contact list, where you did not already have contacts in a gmail account there's probably a dozen or so easy tutorials on exporting/importing a contact list to or from a Gmail account.

4 years ago when I got my first iPhone, I didn't know much at all about this stuff. I didn't go to forums for almost 2 years. I have set up all my contacts manually. At some point I noticed some said Gmail contacts. I later checked online and found mine, but it wasn't many. I added a few, but haven't done anything else since. Most are iCloud with some Gmail. I also added the CardDav account. No issues so far. I did lose my Gmail contacts after an update. But I figured what happened and toggled contacts back on. I'm ignorant about this stuff. It's not easy adding contacts to the Gmail account in Safari on an iPhone 5. LOL

 

[Sherry_B]

It's not easy adding contacts to the Gmail account in Safari on an iPhone 5. LOL

I can imagine! I'd be lost without my desktop computer. I get very frustrated when trying to do forums, emails, chatrooms and other stuff from my phone. I need a huge screen for things like that (plus I'm spoiled with two gaming pc monitors. I can't imagine life without a dual monitor setup lol), and the larger phones just aren't comfy in my hands.

 

[doogald]

This is just an example; create a new gmail account shared4us2@gmail.com and import a copy of your contacts to that account. Add shared4us2@gmail.com to your iPhone and set it to only sync contact info (as in the screenshot I posted above). Then install shared4us2@gmail.com on your wife's iPhone and set it the same way, contacts only. There's no emails being sent through shared4us2@gmail.com, but the contacts are synced regardless of how many devices you add that one specific account to.

You can add shared4us2@gmail.com to as many devices as you want of any type that supports gmail, and every single device will have the same contact list for that specific gmail account. I do this all the time. An iPhone can have several gmail accounts added.

When I go to gmail on the web in my primary gmail account, I will not have access to those contacts. That's why I say that this is an incomplete solution. I use gmail on the web for most of my emailing, either in a browser on a computer or on a Chromebook. I generally do email triage on my iPhone or iPad (deletion, schedule for later, archiving, mark spam) using either the Google InBox app or the Gmail app; it's rare when I use the iOS mail app. I don't compose nearly as many message on my iOS devices, and when I do, they are generally quick replies.

So, again: my wife generally uses an iCloud email account on mail.app on a Mac and in the normal iOS mail app on her iPhone. She has a set of some contacts that are unique to her, and a larger set that duplicate many of my contacts. I primarily use a gmail account as I have already described with a small number of contacts that are unique to me (she doesn't need to and doesn't want to see them, and I don't need to see her unique contacts), but most that we have in common. There is no way, as there can be with calendars, for us to have a set of contacts that we can share in that manner, even if we were both using iCloud or Gmail accounts. (In fact, when I created a family plan with my Apple ID, it created a "family" calendar that we can all see. There is no similar "family" contact list, though. This is what I am saying - there should be.)

If I export the shared contacts out of my gmail account and import into another gmail account, then if I sync with both accounts, I have a large set of duplicate contacts on my iOS devices and still have to change information in two places for those contacts. If I move the shared contacts from my main gmail account to this secondary gmail account (ie, export the shared contacts and then delete them), I will have a full set of contacts on my iOS devices and on my Macs (where I rarely look at the address book) but only a partial set on my gmail account on the web, where I do most of my emailing. And, if something happens to me and my wife for some reason has to rebuild a new iPhone from scratch, there is no way that she will remember that she has to add a gmail account to her device and set it to sync only contacts.

So, to circle back around and get back on topic, it would be great if Apple created a way to share contacts among iCloud accounts, and especially automatically created a Family contact list when you create a family plan, as they do with calendars, that everybody on the family plan would be able to access.

 

[nyangejr]

Re: My text exchange w fianc? is being mixed, overwritten causing serious misunderstandings

Create a gmail account and add all of your contacts there. Then each of you add that gmail account to your phone. Any time one of you edits the contacts in that gmail account it should sync with all parties using that gmail account. Of course you would only be using it for sharing contacts, and not using it for emails.

I think this is the best available solution for now

 

[dfb8085]

This is still an incomplete solution. While you can delegate a gmail account to another, you cannot delegate contacts from one gmail account to another. If I moved all of our shared contacts to a second gmail account, I would lose access to the contact information within my regular gmail account in the web interface, where I do most of my email work. If I copied them over so they are in both accounts, then I am back to managing two sets of duplicate contacts.

As I said, the real solution would be the ability to share a set of contacts similarly to sharing calendars.

Apparently your only solution does not exist. Others have offered different solutions which are not satisfactory. It seems at this time there is no solution to your problem other than for your wife to learn to be a bit more technical.

 

[doogald]

Apparently your only solution does not exist. Others have offered different solutions which are not satisfactory. It seems at this time there is no solution to your problem other than for your wife to learn to be a bit more technical.

Yes, I know that. But wouldn't it be nice if it was easier to do something like this?

 

[SwitchBeach]

Does updating contacts happen so frequently that you cannot sit with your wife when it happens and help her click on the contact card that you send her and update the contact on her device?

 

[doogald]

Does updating contacts happen so frequently that you cannot sit with your wife when it happens and help her click on the contact card that you send her and update the contact on her device?

As I said from the beginning, responding to a post that said if you share Apple IDs that you'd end up with a problem later on splitting them up into separate Apple IDs after sharing contacts - actually, that'd be nice, for a family to share contacts. It's not a huge deal - but, like a shared family calendar, it would be nice to have.

 

[Sherry_B]

As I said from the beginning, responding to a post that said if you share Apple IDs that you'd end up with a problem later on splitting them up into separate Apple IDs after sharing contacts - actually, that'd be nice, for a family to share contacts. It's not a huge deal - but, like a shared family calendar, it would be nice to have.

I think what SwitchBeach means is you sharing a vCard with your wife of a new contact, and teaching her how to add it to her contacts on her own.

 

[SwitchBeach]

I think what SwitchBeach means is you sharing a vCard with your wife of a new contact, and teaching her how to add it to her contacts on her own.

Exactly.