Syncing contacts address book/gmail

[rpwallace]

Hi,

I have about 4000 contacts stored both the gmail contacts and address book, which is in turn synced to my iphone.

I want to clean up some dupes and errors, but when I clean them on address book, it restores them from gmail when syncing and vice versa.

Is there a way to synch were a contact removed from either address book or gmail is removed from the other? I am trialling SpanningSync but it doesn't seem to operate like that.

Also, gmail stores all used email address as contacts by default but I don't want these to be synced across to address book. Is there a way to stop this?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards, Rick.

 

[Weaselboy]

Here is what I have done. Turn off Google sync in OS X address book. Then go to GMail and delete all addresses from contacts. Clean up your OS X address book however you want, then export as an address book archive and save this as a backup. Then turn Google sync back on in OS X address book.

I find you need to close the browser sometimes to allow GMail contacts to sync. For some reason it does not always work when a browser is open.

 

[macjunk(ie)]

Here is what I have done. Turn off Google sync in OS X address book. Then go to GMail and delete all addresses from contacts. Clean up your OS X address book however you want, then export as an address book archive and save this as a backup. Then turn Google sync back on in OS X address book.

I find you need to close the browser sometimes to allow GMail contacts to sync. For some reason it does not always work when a browser is open.

I am not sure if this matters to the OP but doing so might reset GTalk meaning the OP might have to 'invite' his contacts into Gtalk again...

 

[Babyboi]

I'm thinking about syncing my contacts with address book and gmail but i have a few questions before doing so.

My address book is nice and tidy with groups and contacts.
But my gmail has many email/phone contacts which i don't care to sync.

my question is, how will they sync? Will the gmail emails/phone contacts be synced to my address book? i'm hoping not. Also, will my address book contacts synced with gmail be sorted in groups as they are, or will they be all mixed up with the rest of the contacts already on gmail? Or will i have to make a new group in gmail specifically for address book?

Can someone shed some light for me?

 

[Weaselboy]

I'm thinking about syncing my contacts with address book and gmail but i have a few questions before doing so.

My address book is nice and tidy with groups and contacts.
But my gmail has many email/phone contacts which i don't care to sync.

my question is, how will they sync? Will the gmail emails/phone contacts be synced to my address book? i'm hoping not. Also, will my address book contacts synced with gmail be sorted in groups as they are, or will they be all mixed up with the rest of the contacts already on gmail? Or will i have to make a new group in gmail specifically for address book?

Can someone shed some light for me?

They are going to get merged in both places and you will have a mess. Also, GMail address book does not support the groups from OS X AB. You best course is to get everything you want in the OS X address book then delete everything from GMail AB and sync the OS X data to GMail.

 

[Babyboi]

thanks for your input, weaselboy. if that is the case, i have a new gmail account with nothing in there. even though gmail doesn't support groups, at least it will have all of my contacts, right?

when i get new emails added from my new gmail account, will they be synced to my OS X AB? Or can i choose what to sync? ultimately i just want to sync contact names/numbers, not emails. thanks again

 

[Weaselboy]

thanks for your input, weaselboy. if that is the case, i have a new gmail account with nothing in there. even though gmail doesn't support groups, at least it will have all of my contacts, right?

when i get new emails added from my new gmail account, will they be synced to my OS X AB? Or can i choose what to sync? ultimately i just want to sync contact names/numbers, not emails. thanks again

Yes... it will have all your contact and just no groups.

The addresses your sync from OS X AB will go in My Contacts in GMail. Addresses added from sent emails will go to Gmail's "Other Contacts" section and do not get mixed in with My Contacts, so you will not have a problem.

See my screen cap. I have 122 in OS X AB and exactly that number are synced to GMail AB. Then see the Other Contacts section that has picked up email addresses I have sent from Gmail.

 

[Babyboi]

Cool bro. My address book has about 600 contacts but now my gmail is displaying 912 in "My Contacts"

i know i don't have that many, but gmail is displaying one contact for each number with the same name (mobile, home, etc)

How do i make sure it displays the same number of contacts i have from my addressbook under one contact name?

_____________
And i've just found the solution to my own question. i went to More actions> "find and merge duplicates"

thanks again