Contacts app is a nightmare on Tahoe.

[Bazza1]

I want a compact, no frills UX option.

I mighty have to go back to Fantastical/CardHop...

Check out the free versions of the Flexbits apps on the App Store!

I use the free version Fantastical on my iPhone (okay with stock iOS Contacts) and I recall trying it on my Mac (less thrilled and deleted) and Cardhop (ditto) some years ago.

But whatever Apple has done to Contacts in Mac 26 (so much wasted space and flickering), along with your posting above had me remember and revisit Cardhop again. Even free version so much better than stock mess. I'm gonna stick with it for now - maybe, eventually, Apple will restore app to stable functionality.
Or not.

 

[thebart]

I hope everyone in this thread is sending feedback. If you don't get them to fix these issues now, they may not fix them til the next UI refresh

 

[turbineseaplane]

I hope everyone in this thread is sending feedback. If you don't get them to fix these issues now, they may not fix them til the next UI refresh

Or ever

I honestly worry macOS won’t even be a discrete thing in a few years

 

[Sowelu]

If Jony Ive was still around:

"We agonized over every last detail whilst designing the Contact app. We envisioned vast, unused spaces, and a level of overlap that not only creates a bit of chaos, but also makes an underutilized space feel somehow cramped even though text seemingly disappears right before your very eyes, and I think we really achieved that here."

 

[MareLuce]

I hope everyone in this thread is sending feedback. If you don't get them to fix these issues now, they may not fix them til the next UI refresh

How to do this?

 

[thebart]

How to do this?

Use the built in app Feedback Assistant

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I think the problem with apps like Contacts is Swift, or rather Apple's reluctance to take the code that was developed for iOS and actually make a more native Mac version. What we have, essentially, is the iPhone app - and an enormous amount of wasted space.

 

[gwjohnson]

I am also finding Mac Contacts less than ideal in Tahoe. It is painfully slow at times (though this has been an issue for me back over several OSs). I have over 9,000 entries, which may be part of the problem, however there is no slowdown whatsoever on my iPhone or iPad, which is where I usually do most of my editing.

The grey background of the card doesn't help with readability (I wish the colour could be changed, maybe to black?), and I really dislike the poster display of the image which I find distracting behind the text – I prefer the simple photo in a circle, but don't seem to be able to revert all the images back once the poster image appears.

I would also like to be able to remove the card image from the entry list, as I don't really find it useful as many of my contacts don't have images.

Perhaps more customization of the Contacts display will be forthcoming...

Greg

 

[whatnot]

5. Then there is that HUGE space for an image, when you have no image for the person ... so why take up half the screen with a giant circle of an empty head, when it is just an empty head.

but.. but..

Incoming calls on Mac feature stunning Contact Posters of your friends and family that look beautiful on the bigger screen.​

🎵 walking on, walking on, li-quid glaaaaaass...🎵

 

[sduck]

Damn. This is a mess. Aren't your contacts on the phone and your mac supposed to be synced and contain the same info? They don't. At least as far as my main personal contact is concerned. What I'm seeing:

On my phone, there are some 5 or more extra phone numbers associated with my contact, that aren't mine, and when I click the edit button they aren't there to delete. perhaps these got added from phone spoofing or something, I don't know, but I can't delete them.

On my mac, my main contact doesn't have these numbers. Where's the sync feature? I recently moved, so I changed my address, but it's still showing my old address as home, my new address as other, but when I click edit, the old address doesn't show up so it can't be removed.

Fine, I'll create a new contact for myself, but when I try to do that, it quits about 10 seconds in, everything just gone.

Hopefully some attention will be paid to this for before the next version.

 

[StellarVixen]

I think the changes bring the macOS version of Contacts more into line with what Apple have moved to on iOS, so the consistency is one benefit of the new UI.

But is anyone else seeing a jagged/pixellated Contacts icon (specifically the white 'person' icon) when using Command + Tab to bring up the app switcher?

BMW is making both cars and motorcycles, yet they aren't putting handlebars inside cars and vice versa.


I can't believe how all nuance is lost in modern UI/UX paradigms.

 

[whatnot]

BMW is making both cars and motorcycles, yet they aren't putting handlebars inside cars and vice versa.

I was thinking more along the pushbike lines, like what happened to road bike geometry with now-default fugly sloping frames - since fitting is now mostly determined by the seatpost length, you can make them (frames) in fewer sizes, so production etc costs go down, and you just turn up 'oh so modern' spin.

likewise with this i/OS soup, why faff about with distinct UI for each product line, when you can just make one-size-fits-all.

 

[CasualFanboy]

I totally agree with your sentiment. One UI for both iOS and MacOS devices necessarily means the UI will not be optimal for either.

It's even worse than that. iOS completely drives the design of macOS. macOS is an afterthought.

 

[MDTyKe]

It's so bad for me that when I have a Contact open, and simultaneously move my mouse over the dock, the entire Contact app flickers all over the place.

 

[aallen]

Hey there. Not sure if anyone else around here is a heavy user of MacOS' Contacts app. Under Tahoe RC, it's becoming almost useless to me. I'm quite frustrated. Been using Contacts for 15 years, I got more than 6000 records and keep the app always open while working. The interface under Tahoe really sucks big time. I'm devastated.

Yes, I tried BusyContact and Cardhop. They are paid software and present a lot of stuff that I just don't need. I'd gladly pay for any app to give me back the old Contacts interface.

Thinking about going back to Sequoia now.

I completely agree. I wonder if Apple tested this out with any actual end-users. The artsy, variable background colors are awful, the white lettering-on-light blue background is infuriating and nearly unreadable, the background has a very annoying refresh-ripple (flicker? I don't know what else to call it) going through it, and the giant photo is completely unsuited to users who just want a useable, flexible, well-designed contact app. I'm fine if some people actually like this...but I was MUCH MUCH happier with the Sequoia version, where the "Edit" screen is about the same as the "Done" screen. This new version verges on unusable, and is a big step backward. I keep thinking Apple is going to make progress with Contacts, with more professional touches and customizations...but this is really a mess. I'm on the verge of going back to Sequoia, or going to a 3rd-party contact app, if they don't fix this very soon. And I am not interested in anyone from Apple or anywhere else telling me, "You'll get used to it." I'm not going to make this my problem. LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS. I've given my formal feedback to Apple, and will report their response here. I appreciate this forum.

 

[MareLuce]

It's so bad for me that when I have a Contact open, and simultaneously move my mouse over the dock, the entire Contact app flickers all over the place.

Me too. I literally cannot paste something important into a contact because of this.

 

[orbital~debris]

BMW is making both cars and motorcycles, yet they aren't putting handlebars inside cars and vice versa.


I can't believe how all nuance is lost in modern UI/UX paradigms.

You make a fair point.

When I said 'consistency', I only meant in the general sense – you're correct, it shouldn't be the exact same UI/UX across all devices; the design should be tailored to the device and its unique qualities.

 

[bluesteel]

I rarely use the contacts app in macOS, but I had to update my contact card and, wow, the app is really glitchy in Tahoe. For example, if I try to change my contact photo, the app freezes/crashes. It's also creating duplicate "my card" contacts , and when I delete one, it's deleting a different one. Overall, really strange behavior, lol.

 

[Bazza1]

It's even worse than that. iOS completely drives the design of macOS. macOS is an afterthought.

Yes, Apple seems determined to dumb'ify MacOS down to that of an OS created back in 2007 for the iPod Touch, and we up with stuff like this. Seems they really want only one OS to run on all of their devices - and its not Mac.

 

[Martyimac]

I initially posted saying I had no issues with the contacts app. But over the weekend I came to realize that most, not all, of the comments here hold water.  Should revert back to the old way, it worked, made sense and doesn't waste that much space.
Some of us, like me, take a little longer to understand why so many here disliked the new app. So now you can count me in.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I initially posted saying I had no issues with the contacts app. But over the weekend I came to realize that most, not all, of the comments here hold water.  Should revert back to the old way, it worked, made sense and doesn't waste that much space.
Some of us, like me, take a little longer to understand why so many here disliked the new app. So now you can count me in.

Major credit to you for circling back and posting your updated thoughts.

👏

 

[F Baptista]

This version of Contacts on macOS Tahoe is lousy beyond available words to describe it… How that got through quality/ergonomics control at Apple labs.

Apple is getting late, lazy and sloppy on (pretty much) all its MacOs desktop productivity Apps (Mail, Reminders, Calendar.... and the worst of this set is definitely this unbelievably awful Contact App). Anyone from Apple over there? Anyone can (quickly) do something about it? Starting by letting us remove that "photo" thing from the interface... Please!

 

[JoeSilver]

This version of Contacts on macOS Tahoe is lousy beyond available words to describe it… How that got through quality/ergonomics control at Apple labs.

I like to think that devs and testers were perfectly aware that it isn't ready or up to standards. Sometimes (often?) in a company other priorities prevail and resources are diverted to other projects, or corners are cut in order to deliver in time. Problem is, meeting deadlines at all costs can lead to deliver products of poor quality. I generally like Tahoe, but it's clear that some parts of it haven't received much love.

Anyway, I renew the invitation to submit feedback:

I hope everyone in this thread is sending feedback. If you don't get them to fix these issues now, they may not fix them til the next UI refresh

 

[gvmelbrty]

How to do this?

Feedback - macOS

Apple wants to hear from you. Send us your comments and feedback about macOS.

www.apple.com

 

[adrianlondon]

or corners are cut

Not any more! Now they're rounded 😁