Comments on: 7 reasons Google Contacts sucks

By: Billy Cheeseballs

Billy Cheeseballs — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:14:56 +0000

Everything you discuss above, I resolved in summer 2010 without trouble on my iPhone, in 2011 with an Android, and again this weekend with my new Android all except for being able to view contacts with the first name prefix for the two Androids. I like to be able to quickly see Dr. and Mr/Mrs/Ms for the few ambiguous names I don’t contact much. Syncing on my iPhone and Outlook via Google was always a bit cumbersome for all three to be in perfect sync, but my methods worked to keep it in sync with 24-hour patience. My Android however handles Outlook and Google Contacts like a charm!

FWIW, I can live without prefixes I guess, but other than not experiencing the GChat issues you have, your list is/should be obsolete.

1. Name fields have always been there on the web app Contacts page.
2. Yes, there is. There was then and there is now. At least for Web app: More > Sort by > [x] Last name. Android > People > Menu > View > View contact name as > Last name first
3. Nickname. This is an Apple issue. It’s an issue for all devices and varies by Contacts service, too. There are easy work arounds but this isn’t the place to cover them all.
4. Syncing has its hiccups. iOS 5 has made it troublesome but I haven’t bothered fixing i as my iPhone is now just a phone-capable iTouch that never makes/takes calls. Blackberry is a pain to get going but easy once setup. And I haven’t had any troubles with Android Google Apps/Voice contacts whatsoever except for HTC interference, but that has always been negligible and never affects Google contacts.
5. Use Google Contacts as your base. To build that base, export from every address book and import into Excel to cleanup. Then wipe out all address books every, turn off syncing everywhere, upload the clean file to Google, and then enable syncing. All good.
6. I’ve had no trouble or confusion using Google Chat, I’ll pay closer attention to see if I see what you see but just don’t notice what you see.
7. Again, I have many, many, many common last names and first names and I just don’t have any troubles in GChat.

Google, Apple, Yahoo and Microsoft and Apple, HTC, Blackberry, LG, Sony and whatever other software/hardware big wigs need to establish Address Book standards to make syncing worry-free amongst all combinations. But why would they when enterprise services rake in cash due to all this miscommunication and penis-size warfare?

By: Alton Miller

Alton Miller — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:12:43 +0000

A web search on “Google contacts sucks” brings up anguished conversations from 3+ years ago — and no improvements!?! My personal solution is to maintain a separate database for my PC (a text file with clusters of names that I can quickly cut & paste into the Address field of emails) and give up on any group mailing from my Android.

By: Wade

Wade — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:54:46 +0000

I agree, Google Contacts is terrible. Google, do something you big, do-no-evil lug!

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:55:14 +0000

Anyone else noted with utter mind-boggling incomprehension the way Gmail +/ Picasa auto pick a nickname out of the first part of the contacts name, not bothering to realise that if the contact has a prefix this does not make a good nickname.

I have about 20 contacts all with the same nickname of ‘Dr’.
But I guess that this either is the way is really should be or else is a real tricky problem to solve.

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 14:21:20 +0000

My problem right now with Google Contacts is loading & responding. It just sits there!!! Freezes up!! Then, it will act like it is working & you start typing and nothing!! Everything on my computer works just fine and with the expected speed – but, not my contacts. This is driving me crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve researched, re-booted, etc. with no luck.

Any suggestions? If not, another contact database that will sync up with my iphone?

Thank you in advance for your time.

By: Jeff Brotherston

Jeff Brotherston — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 21:04:14 +0000

Yes Google contacts sucks and I really wish it was better because sync to Outlook sucks even worse. At least with Outlook I can view by company, not by first name. Doing that with 6000 plus contacts is futility. For all of the things Google does well, contacts has to be at the very bottom. With all the buzz about social networking, why isn’t contact more important? Why would I pay for the enterprise version if the entry level version is lame?

By: Cruiser

Cruiser — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:17:50 +0000

Sage… Makes the ACT contact software… has a mobile service (120.00/yr upfront) which has to be better than this lame attempt by Google.

I haven’t tried it but it HAS to be better than Google Garbage.

By: Stuff I couldn’t do without in 2011

Stuff I couldn’t do without in 2011 — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 23:58:11 +0000

[...] which I will not put.” The American Heritage Book of English Usage agrees. [↩]See the reasons why Google Contacts sucks: basically, Google thinks Christian name, middle name and surname fields can all be bunched [...]

By: Creola Crisanti

Creola Crisanti — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:52:12 +0000

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By: Bien remplir les prénom, second prénom, nom… dans Google Contacts » Être adminsys

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:05:11 +0000

[...] 7 reasons Google Contacts sucks, la première raison énoncée est qu’il n’y a pas de champ prénom, nom du milieu, [...]