Hello, I'm a new owner (less than a week) of the Captivate and a newbie for android except for messing with the Backflip for a couple weeks. All of your guides have been great and I've been tweaking the heck of my captivate. I've even recovered from a near-bricking... scary but satisfying when I breathed life back into the phone. Currently I've got it rooted, OCed, new interface, etc.
However there's one aspect I'd really like to change that's bothering me. As you can guess from my subject it's the contact handling. I haven't seen any threads addressing it and hope someone can either help or point me towards a solution.
In a nutshell, contact handling is horrible. It makes me appreciate motoblur on the backflip... and I hate going backwards. I can't sync my google contact groups and the current implementation is acting strangely. I have it set up to only sync and ONLY display google contacts yet I'm getting an abbreviated list on the contacts tab. There's a lot of contacts that will only display if I click Groups->google. I have no idea why.
Are there any mods that will improve the display of contacts and handle the managing and syncing of google contact groups? Also, what folders will it sync if I enable contact sync with my exchange server? Will disabling sync remove the contacts if I don't like how they're being displayed?
Thanks.
I agree. The stock Contact app on this phone is garbage. The google groups are completely hosed on this app. No individual ringtones can be assigned unless you also create duplicates as phone contacts and then link them together. That is completely brain dead. Even if you do that, you still can't view the google group assigments. They are there, you just can't see them. Try to create a new group with the same name as one of your google groups that doesn't show. It will say it can't create it because it already exists. I'll say it again, the Contacts app on the Captivate is garbage. I haven't been able to find a replacement for it either. Anybody have some suggestions?
The closest thing I can find is an app called GroupU. It presents all of your google groups and changes made through it sync back to your google contacts. However it not integrated into he OS so it's a bit awkward to use.
Still looking for other options. Are there any phones out there that have better contact/google integration? If so, would it be possible to, say, backup that phones contacts.apk and restore it to the captivate? I don't think this would be possible (though I'd definitely try it if I had a different android phone) but I'm still knew to this and haven't gotten down to code level yet.
Anybody else have other options?
Raleran said:
In a nutshell, contact handling is horrible. It makes me appreciate motoblur on the backflip... and I hate going backwards. I can't sync my google contact groups and the current implementation is acting strangely. I have it set up to only sync and ONLY display google contacts yet I'm getting an abbreviated list on the contacts tab. There's a lot of contacts that will only display if I click Groups->google. I have no idea why.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two things I can think of in response that might answer some of your questions/issues.
You are obviously aware that you can display contacts from a specific location as you described like "google contacts." For some reason the contacts app has default settings for certain apps. For example; only display contacts with phone number when you are in the dialer or only display contacts with email addresses when in the email app. I have noticed that this weird auto filtering has a tendency to block the contacts I want at the wrong time. I would try checking the filters and make sure its not just hiding what you want to see.
Secondly, I was annoyed with the poor handling of contact groups by the captivate. It seems that the phone will not sync the group placement of the contacts with gmail. From the reading I did, it seems this is a known issue and is being addressed. Google recently made changes to the contacts section online and I am assuming that we will see a change on next months update.
I hope this answers some questions. I have not tried any 3rd party contacts managers so I don't have a replacement suggestion. I got my filters straight and I don't mind waiting for a "groups" fix.
This is my wife's biggest gripe with her phone as well. The groups come through weird, and when she links two contacts together we can't seem to figure out how to set one as the default, so several contacts are showing up in her list as their Twitter username instead of their actual name.
Also, no assigning personalized ringtones for Google contacts? Seriously? Vanilla 2.1 and 2.2 don't have this problem.
I can't wait for somebody to write a vanilla ROM for the Captivate and get completely rid of touchwiz.
Another brain-dead feature of contact groups: if you do "send message" to a group, you're presented with a list of all the contacts in the group. None of the contacts in the group are selected, and there's no "select all" option; you have to go through and tap every member of the group.
Shovelhead84 said:
You are obviously aware that you can display contacts from a specific location as you described like "google contacts." For some reason the contacts app has default settings for certain apps. For example; only display contacts with phone number when you are in the dialer or only display contacts with email addresses when in the email app. I have noticed that this weird auto filtering has a tendency to block the contacts I want at the wrong time. I would try checking the filters and make sure its not just hiding what you want to see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having this trouble with the default contact app. If I go to the "desktop" and start contacts I get a different listing on the contact tab then the groups->google tab. I've made sure that only google contacts are displaying (unselected google and made sure the contacts tab was blank). I don't see any filters except for the "only display contacts with phone numbers". Are there any others hidden somewhere?
Shovelhead84 said:
Secondly, I was annoyed with the poor handling of contact groups by the captivate. It seems that the phone will not sync the group placement of the contacts with gmail. From the reading I did, it seems this is a known issue and is being addressed. Google recently made changes to the contacts section online and I am assuming that we will see a change on next months update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that the groups are carried to the phone and they're synced in the background. I think that Touchwiz contacts just doesn't display them. Here's why I believe this... GroupU says in their description "Contacts GroupU integrates with built-in phonebook seamlessly." When I loaded it, it knew my labels I had set up in google contacts AND when I changed the assignment it synced back to my desktop.
I haven't seen anything on next months update... do you mean 2.2 will be released then?
Kiserai said:
Also, no assigning personalized ringtones for Google contacts? Seriously? Vanilla 2.1 and 2.2 don't have this problem.
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Click to collapse
Here's the strange thing... I know someone with the original droid and they can't access groups either. Go figure.
I've never seen a vanilla ROM for android... so I have absolutely no clue what it looks like.
Raleran said:
I'm having this trouble with the default contact app. If I go to the "desktop" and start contacts I get a different listing on the contact tab then the groups->google tab. I've made sure that only google contacts are displaying (unselected google and made sure the contacts tab was blank). I don't see any filters except for the "only display contacts with phone numbers". Are there any others hidden somewhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would double check this but I just picked up my phone and it is dead. Not sure why but my battery is completely drained...I think you will see different filter options base on contact application launch. IE...dialer, email, messaging
Raleran said:
I haven't seen anything on next months update... do you mean 2.2 will be released then?
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Click to collapse
We can only hope... here is one post on it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=754678
EX Dialer seems great
Kiserai said:
This is my wife's biggest gripe with her phone as well. The groups come through weird, and when she links two contacts together we can't seem to figure out how to set one as the default, so several contacts are showing up in her list as their Twitter username instead of their actual name.
Also, no assigning personalized ringtones for Google contacts? Seriously? Vanilla 2.1 and 2.2 don't have this problem.
I can't wait for somebody to write a vanilla ROM for the Captivate and get completely rid of touchwiz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off try EX Dialer, it seems fine, and I think it addresses your complaints.
Sendly any JB 4.2 release for your Cappy will astound you, most CM 10.1 based ROMs are really fine.
I like Captivating, though slim bean looks well supported.
Dosolutions
Does anyone else have this issue?
My contact list displays all three sources...SIM/Phone/Gmail no matter what I select in "display" I had to delete all SIM and Phone contacts and just use Google Contacts not to have duplicates...
Maybe it is something I am doing wrong? Did not have this issue with 2.1.
I don;t use exchange. I am Google centric so Its not a bad thing but i was wondering if anyone else noticed this on their updated Phones.
I had the same problem. I had to unjoin all my contacts and delete all the multiples.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I had the same issue. It's bothering me, so I'm just going to pretend it doesn't exist.
Great I am glad its a "bug" and not unique to my device. I use Google contacts as it syncs. Phone and SIM contacts have no benefit for me. I have back ups to the SD card JIC.
Google contacts all screwed up.
found issue in other thread
they need to add an option to remove duplicates.
Hi,
I recently found that there is an option for adding IM accounts for each contact. While in Edit Contact mode you have the choice to add an IM account (most common ones) for each contact. If you add an IM account you will then have a choice within a contact to start IM chat with that specific person.
My problem is that if I add an Microsoft Live account for one of my friends nothing happens when I try to send a message. E.g There is no application linked to this action.
It works well if I instead use Google Talk, but then that application is installed on the phone.
Since there is no official MSN application available I wonder if there is a way to get this working ? Is there an Motorola app which is not present on my phone? (running custom firmware) or is there a way to link a specific app to that action ? (Ebuddy for example) or how is this intended to be used ?
Been searching the net for an answer without any luck.
// Suzpel
nope, instant messaging from contacts is only avail. for Gtalk.
some extra functionallity comes with the official skype app, (like in facebook or twitter)
but you can mess aound with jabber transports if ur rly interessted, that works quite well for me, but can get complicated too.
there are guides for that out there - if u google "jabber transport gtalk"
justanordinarydude said:
nope, instant messaging from contacts is only avail. for Gtalk.
some extra functionallity comes with the official skype app, (like in facebook or twitter)
but you can mess aound with jabber transports if ur rly interessted, that works quite well for me, but can get complicated too.
there are guides for that out there - if u google "jabber transport gtalk"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I also found out that this has nothing to do with Motorola, since it looks and behaves the same on my Samsung Galaxy. Looks like Google prepared for IM via Contacts but since there are no offical clients (or non official) that integrates with the contacts it doesn't work. Would be good to be able to configure this yourself. Anyway I will stick with Ebuddy which lets me connect to different networks within the same applikation.
// Suzpel
I am having a problem with facebook contact syncing on my SGS. The contacts all sync to my phone fine, but i have noticed that even if i have the same name in my phonebook as i do for a facebook friend it joins the 2 together.
Only problem is that if i join 2 people of the same name, it seems to use the profile photo and status of another facebook user, and there seems to be no way to sort it, i have tried deleting facebook account from phone and resyncing it, i have tried manually joining the contacts and still nothing.
Anyone else experienced this?
Happened to me on Several roms
Stock 2.1
Stock 2.2
Various custom roms
So I've played with several roms and because I like the older calender and contact apps for their syncing (or lack of problems syncing) with facebook etc. I am currently using GB. Firmware 2.3.3.
So my issue is this... several of my apps constantly require logging in. I've even had some widgets not work. A data tracking widget kept saying to input settings, a weather app kept asking for my area, words with friends would even give me a notification but when I clicked it I was then told to login. What am I missing? Any recommendations to fix this so that my apps don't constantly require me to log in?