Memory Leak in AddressBookSync

[B74A]

I have an issue with my MBP. I have 4GB ram, and recently, AddressBookSync think it should just fill up that entire memory with ... nothing, I guess! I used the search function here, as well as on google, and those few instances I could find were either not answered, too old or relevant to other application problems.

This is a screenshot from Activity Monitor. I can kill it, but at next sync, it will just start over. As it fills the memory, most other functions slowly come to a halt, or at least, runs very slowly - even copying files, or just hovering the mouse over the dock, to reveal the icons!

I did a resync of Mobile Me as suggested elsewhere, but it did not solve it.

I hope others can help here.

If you want to find out for yourself if you have a similar problem, I can recommend the widget iStat Pro. From that, you can see current memory and CPU loads (and much more also), and launch Activity Monitor from there. You can also launch Activity Monitor directly from Spotlight for instance.

It seems that also starting Mail, will invoke AddressBookSync, so it just makes it even more critical for me to have this problem solved ...

 

[upaymeifixit]

How would I get AddressBookSync to run? I will test it on my machine to see if I have the problem.

 

[B74A]

How would I get AddressBookSync to run? I will test it on my machine to see if I have the problem.

Mine runs when I check for mail, or sync the address book. Syncing from System Preferences -> Mobile Me, or clicking the icon at the top, if you have it enabled.

Recently, the only app that hangs here, is SKYPE. Every time I start it, it takes a few minutes, as it goes to 100% CPU and builds memory up to many hundred MB, then suddenly drops. If I log out, and in again, it happens again, likewise just now and then. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes before it comes out of "Not Responding" ... sigh!

 

[B74A]

Solved - I think!

In Hong Kong, there are lots of calls, either automated or from real people, who call and sell all kinds of stuff (even if you are listed on the "DnD list"!)

Someone made an iPhone app called "Junk Calls", and it will gather all these numbers from user feedback, and upon activation, make one single address book entry, with ALL these hundreds of phone numbers in that same address book record.

After deleting it, it seems that I am back to normal. Addressbook sync seems NOT to like records with hundreds of phone numbers!

 

[B74A]

Solved

I can now confirm that the entry in Address Book with one single contact having lots of phone numbers was the culprit (see post above).

I have not had any Skype problems ever since I deleted that contact, and I am no longer using the Hong Kong app for showing advertisement "spam" phone numbers.

 

[ECR061]

No one big contact, but many contacts

Hello,

Thanks for your hints. Unfortunately I have no big contact but more than 3000 contacts, and I cannot stop AddressBookSync from getting the whole memory each time it starts. I have 2GB, and I have ordered the 4G, just to try.

 

[ntrigue]

Hello,

Thanks for your hints. Unfortunately I have no big contact but more than 3000 contacts, and I cannot stop AddressBookSync from getting the whole memory each time it starts. I have 2GB, and I have ordered the 4G, just to try.

I'd put everything in Google and use Exchange.

 

[B74A]

Hello,

Thanks for your hints. Unfortunately I have no big contact but more than 3000 contacts, and I cannot stop AddressBookSync from getting the whole memory each time it starts. I have 2GB, and I have ordered the 4G, just to try.

4GB is nice, I did that too. But it just fills up 4GB instead, I also had that. You really need to try if you can backup all your contacts and replace them with maybe 100 contacts, just to see if there is a difference.

Maybe it is not even the amount of contacts, but it could be corrupted, the address database? Good luck anyway, I have had no problems ever since I deleted that one entry. I have almost 600 contacts with no issues.

 

[DLSieving]

AddressBookSync Fills ALL Available Memory

I have a MacBook Pro with 8GB RAM and both Address Book proper and AddressBookSourceSync fill every spare byte of it. I have many Address Book entries accumulated over many years. There were many duplications but I've eliminated these (see post following). An AB Statistics view showing entry, field and other useful figures would be very helpful.

Regardless of the number of entries or fields, AB and ABSS should responsibly monitor and control their use of memory. Neither of these numbers should cause it to overuse memory.

 

[DLSieving]

Address Book Memory Leak Rate

Ok, I found the new feature that finds and merges duplicate entries and fields. I ran the find and the merge iteratively until no more duplicates of any kind were detected.

I then synced with iPhone and no new duplicates were generated.

I then synced with iPad and no new duplicates were generated.

I then synced with iCloud and no new duplicates were generated.

With luck, therefore, whatever bug(s) produced the duplications have been fixed.

I then monitored Address Book's memory usage AT REST and noted a consistent leak rate of 0.03GB/Sec = about 32MB/sec. The AddressBookSourceSync process was NOT running, just Address Book proper, moments after syncing with all potential mirrors - iPhone, iPad and iCloud. I have, however, known AddressBookSourceSync to run by itself and it too fills every available byte of real memory. Perhaps AB and ABSS are one and the same software running in different modes. Either way, the memory leak appears to originate in software common to Address Book and AddressBookSourceSync WHETHER OR NOT there is anything to sync.

 

[Sirolway]

Has anyone found a solution to this AddressBookSOurceSync issue.
I have this bad & it's not actually syncinng address book entries in the meantime. I have a lot of contacts, so it's not practical to go through them one by one ...

So .. questions:
1. Has anyone raised this with Apple / a Genius Bar? What did they say?
2. If this is down to 'bad' contacts, do we know what makes a contact bad & how to find them?

It would kinda be nice to be able to sync my contacts, not to mention avoid this runaway process ...

 

[theanimaster]

One day I notice that my Macbook Pro (early 2011) has its fans spinning all the time. I thought it might just be Borderlands 2. But now Borderlands 2 has slowed HORRIBLY. I am thinking it's a heat problem, but even in an airconditioned room, the symptoms are the same and the fans are just on full.

The culprit?

ADDRESSBOOKSOURCESYNC !!!!

How can such a seemingly harmless process bring a thousand dollar computer to its knees?!? REALLY Apple. Someone NEEDS to be fired. Scott is already gone, so what idiot is stuffing up now?

SOLUTION: KILL THE INTERNET. I did this by disabling wifi. Sure enough, Activity Monitor shows Addressbooksourcesync give up whatever it's trying to do (which is still a mystery: what IS it trying to do that takes up over 50% of the CPU time!?!?!). On some occassions I force quit the process and it never shows up after you've had WIFI disabled.

Disable WIFI before killing the process, else the process will just resurrect itself from the bowels of application process he11.

Still, I'm not impressed with Apple having us disconnect our internet every now and then, just to kill a rogue process. How they can stuff up so hugely ... it's beyond me. Insert "Steve wouldn't allow such a thing..." cliché here.

 

[theanimaster]

Here's a more permanent solution apparently:

http://www.motherboardpoint.com/lion-address-book-memory-leak-t253074.html

 

[CPQuinn]

Memory leak in AddressBookSourceSync seemed related to Skype

I had the same problem described by theanimaster - bringing a $2000 computer to its knees. AddressBookSourceSync was the symptom. In my Skype preferences I unchecked "Show Mac Contacts" and the problem disappeared. No more memory leak.

Whew!