[Protocol 2001]

Hello

My Contacts app is really frustrating currently and I want to spend some time over the weekend to fix it up. Currently, I have only my Outlook.com linked into the contacts (per the account settings). In the contacts app, it's showing Facebook, Outlook.com, and Device (I disabled SIM contacts).

Some of the challenges I'm having:

• I can link the contacts fine, but once linked it is difficult to update. For example, I'll update a first and last name but when I click save it'll revert back to the old
• Outlook.com shows duplicates of most contacts online -- often same names but one with the email, one with the phone number
• Any new contact I've added to the Z10 automatically adds to Outlook.com

Does anyone know of a "clean" process whereby I can update all my contacts so I can get just one entry in the Contacts app and Outlook.com? I like linking in FB since it gives me contact pictures but sometimes when I sync them then remove FB I have orphaned numbers. I don't mind using just Outlook.com as my address book with all the contact details and not using device contacts at all -- but I don't know how to do this?

Any suggestions from the community?

[anon(153966)]

Go to Contacts \ Settings and un-select the Contacts that you don't want to see, like Facebook, Twitter, etc.

[Protocol 2001]

Thanks for the suggestion, naviwilliams. However, I do want to see all these contacts -- I like to have everything linked together but want to have it done cleanly and in a way that works and is functional. Do you know a way to make this happen? Or is the Contacts app just poorly designed and doesn't handle this properly?

[RazzBerry]

Outlook also pulls contact info from other email accounts like G**gle so you may need to edit the G**gle contacts list FIRST, then edit Outlook.

[b52ninja]

I would be careful, every time I added a unique ringer the contact unlinks and then deletes one of the linked contacts. Using Verizon stock OS

[tfp]

From my experience, I find it best to unlink the contacts, edit the one you want as the main contact and then link them back using the edited contact as the one that you choose to link others to. For example, I have sister on my FB, LinkedIn, BBM, Local and Outlook contact lists. If I unlink them all and select the local contact, edit that one to have the name displayed that I want and save it then go back into "sister local" and select "link" and then add the other contacts back to it, it will display the "local" info as the default. You can select which picture displays for the contact by tapping the picture and selecting the one that you want.

Hope this helps.

[duckduke]

I hope I can help but it will take some explaining.

If you brought your contacts in by a sync with xxxxx @ outlook.com sync ........ each of these contacts will only have 1 "Link" = Outlook account

So ...... you have an Outlook.com email linked to contacts. Every time you add a New Contact it will have 3 "Links" and be saved/sync'ed in 3 places:
1 -- Local
2 -- SIM
3 -- xxxx @ outlook.com
1 New Contact with 3 "Links".
This is simply the way the contacts currently opperates since we cannot set a default contact account. You can correct by "Unlinking" the "Links" that you don't want. This will create a duplicate contact (with different sets of "Links"). You can then delete the contact with the set of "Links" that you don't want. It sounds more confusing than it is.

When you add Facebook and contacts show up as 1 contact (i.e. they are not duplicate), you now have 4 "Links" for each of those contacts:
1 -- Local
2 -- SIM
3 -- xxxx @ outlook.com
4 -- Facebook


Now ..... if that contact is also on Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter and shows as a duplicate..... you simply have 1 Contact with 3 "Links" and 1 contact with the Facebook "Link". You can merge/link these together into one contact as follows:
-- Open an Outlook contact or New Contact on your device (check the contact "Links")
-- Make sure their name on this contact entry appears the way that you want it in your contacts list
-- With the contact open .... look near the bottom of the screen and click "Links"
-- With the "Links" screen open ..... near the bottom click on "Add Link"
-- Scroll through contacts and click on the duplicate contact containing the "Links" from Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn
Boom ....... you linked the 2 duplicates together as one contact and they maintained the name of the contact the way that you entered it in your contact "List". This is how it works for me anyway.

If you have added Facebook and your contacts show as 1 contact .... then a Facebook "Link" was added for those contacts (i.e. - they now have "Links" for Local+SIM+email+Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn) ........ I think that is what is preventing you from changing the name. While they are "Linked" to the social account + your device accounts.... I think the system is not allowing you to change alter the name.

You would have to:
--- unlink the Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn "Links ..... as was suggested above ..... this will create duplicate contacts with differents sets of "Links"
--- then change the name on the contact that just as device/email "Links" .... i.e. Local and/or SIM and/or Email account
--- once you have the name changed the way you want it.... you can go back and "Link" the duplicate contacts back together and it should retain the name you have established on your device. It's not a 100% guarantee but the best way I have found. I have a contact listed by their forum screen name and when I added Facebook it took their last name from the Facebook link .... it's kinda funny actually.

All of this will not be perfect. But using the above should help you manage your contacts (and manage your "Links", reduce duplicates, and keep all the information you want showing for your contacts.

I hope this helps!!!!!!!!!

[ralfyguy]

I hope I can help but it will take some explaining.

If you brought your contacts in by a sync with xxxxx @ outlook.com sync ........ each of these contacts will only have 1 "Link" = Outlook account

So ...... you have an Outlook.com email linked to contacts. Every time you add a New Contact it will have 3 "Links" and be saved/sync'ed in 3 places:
1 -- Local
2 -- SIM
3 -- xxxx @ outlook.com
1 New Contact with 3 "Links".
This is simply the way the contacts currently opperate since we cannot set a default contact account. You can correct by "Unlink" the "Links" that you don't want. This will create a duplicate contact (with different sets of "Links). You can then delete the contact with the set of "Links" that you don't want. I sounds more confusing than it is.

When you add Facebook and contacts show up as 1 contact (i.e. they are not duplicate), you now have 4 "Links" for each of those contacts:
1 -- Local
2 -- SIM
3 -- xxxx @ outlook.com
4 -- Facebook


Now ..... if that contact is also on Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter and shows as a duplicate..... you simply have 1 Contact with 3 "Links" and 1 contact with the Facebook "Link". You can merge/link these together into one contact as follows:
-- Open an Outlook contact or New Contact on your device (check the contact "Links")
-- Make sure their name on this contact entry appears the way that you want it in your contacts list
-- With the contact open .... look near the bottom of the screen and click "Links"
-- With the "Links" screen open ..... near the bottom click on "Add Link"
-- Scroll through contacts and click on the duplicate contact containing the "Links" from Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn
Boom ....... you linked the 2 duplicates together as one contact and they maintained the name of the contact the way that you entered it in your contact "List". This is how it works for me anyway.

If you have added Facebook and your contacts show as 1 contact .... then a Facebook "Link" was added for those contacts (i.e. - they now have "Links" for Local+SIM+email+Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn) ........ I think that is what is preventing you from changing the name. While they are "Linked" to the social account + your device accounts.... I think the system is not allowing you to change alter the name.

You would have to:
--- unlink the Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn "Links ..... as was suggested above ..... this will create duplicate contacts with differents sets of "Links"
--- then change the name on the contact that just as device/email "Links" .... i.e. Local and/or SIM and/or Email account
--- once you have the name changed the way you want it.... you can go back and "Link" the duplicate contacts back together and it should retain the name you have established on your device. It's not a 100% guarantee but the best way I have found. I have a contact listed by their forum screen name and when I added Facebook it took their last name from the Facebook link .... it's kinda funny actually.

All of this will not be perfect. But using the above should help you manage your contacts (and manage your "Links", reduce duplicates, and keep all the information you want showing for your contacts.

I hope this helps!!!!!!!!!

This works fine with linking them back together until you reboot the phone. Then they unlink again. It won't stick. Every time I edit a contact I delete it and start from scratch. That is the only way to make it stick. I fought with that for over two weeks.

[ralfyguy]

From my experience, I find it best to unlink the contacts, edit the one you want as the main contact and then link them back using the edited contact as the one that you choose to link others to. For example, I have sister on my FB, LinkedIn, BBM, Local and Outlook contact lists. If I unlink them all and select the local contact, edit that one to have the name displayed that I want and save it then go back into "sister local" and select "link" and then add the other contacts back to it, it will display the "local" info as the default. You can select which picture displays for the contact by tapping the picture and selecting the one that you want.

Hope this helps.

I have tried this as well, but often editing after unlinking will just create even more duplicate links. This is the biggest mess I've ever seen on a phone.

[ralfyguy]

The cleanest way to do it is to take screenshots from all the info, delete all links and enter the contact from scratch. ALSO temporary delete the FB and LinkedIn accounts until you're done editing and then add them back. After two weeks of working on it, I have all my contacts cleaned up and synced to outlook.com only. It was tedious and tiresome, but I got that desaster dealt with now. And every time a contact's info changes, delete and enter from scratch.

[tfp]

I have tried this as well, but often editing after unlinking will just create even more duplicate links. This is the biggest mess I've ever seen on a phone.

I apologize for the tough time you are having with your contacts, however I can assure you that this is not the case for everyone. I have access to 4 Z10's and soon to be a Q10 and can confirm that none of them are having the issue you mention. In each case, the steps I have outlined worked flawlessly and did not create any unnecessary links. Each of the contacts have a maximum of 5 links (FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Local and Outlook) some have less, but none are duplicate. Even reboots have not affected the contacts. Sorry for your hardships in getting your contacts set up the way you like them.

[Lendo]

I'm ready to try a 3rp party app for contacts.. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Protocol 2001]

Firstly, thank you everyone for your detailed responses.

I have a contact listed by their forum screen name and when I added Facebook it took their last name from the Facebook link .... it's kinda funny actually.

This is exactly the issue I have, where a last name populates from FB. I try deleting the last name and it'll auto re-populate. I've tried unlinking all, creating a new contact with the name as I'd like, then re-link and sure enough the last name field populates and can't be altered.

This has all got me to wondering -- updates to my contacts automatically populate on Outlook.com address book (including new ones). Sometimes this has resulted in duplicate contacts there. Is there a way to upload all my "Local" contacts to Outlook.com? If so this is what I think might work:

1. Upload all "local" contacts to Outlook.com
2. Disassociate Outlook.com contacts and Facebook from my BB / Contacts app
3. Delete all remaining local and SIM contacts on the Z10
4. "Fix" all the contacts on Outlook.com
5. Re-link Outlook.com to my Z10
6. Re-link Facebook to the contacts brough in from Outlook.com

[ralfyguy]

I apologize for the tough time you are having with your contacts, however I can assure you that this is not the case for everyone. I have access to 4 Z10's and soon to be a Q10 and can confirm that none of them are having the issue you mention. In each case, the steps I have outlined worked flawlessly and did not create any unnecessary links. Each of the contacts have a maximum of 5 links (FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Local and Outlook) some have less, but none are duplicate. Even reboots have not affected the contacts. Sorry for your hardships in getting your contacts set up the way you like them.

I still love this phone, I just don't know why the contacts issue is that bad. It's fine now, no auto un linking anymore. I just enter contacts from scratch if I have to edit them.

Posted via CB10

[omega supreme]

Try Contact X from blackberry world...it may solve most if not all of your problems.

Posted via CB10

[duckduke]

Firstly, thank you everyone for your detailed responses.



This is exactly the issue I have, where a last name populates from FB. I try deleting the last name and it'll auto re-populate. I've tried unlinking all, creating a new contact with the name as I'd like, then re-link and sure enough the last name field populates and can't be altered.

This has all got me to wondering -- updates to my contacts automatically populate on Outlook.com address book (including new ones). Sometimes this has resulted in duplicate contacts there. Is there a way to upload all my "Local" contacts to Outlook.com? If so this is what I think might work:

1. Upload all "local" contacts to Outlook.com
2. Disassociate Outlook.com contacts and Facebook from my BB / Contacts app
3. Delete all remaining local and SIM contacts on the Z10
4. "Fix" all the contacts on Outlook.com
5. Re-link Outlook.com to my Z10
6. Re-link Facebook to the contacts brough in from Outlook.com

That is what I would do/try .......... but...... if the last name is left blank on your contact ....... when you add Facebook back in your last step.......... I bet the last name will fill from Facebook.

You only other option (from what I can tell) is to not set up Facebook as an account. Save a link from the browser on your home page and access Facebook that way. Then you will have no contact merge from the Facebook account.

Even if BB10.1 or some future OS build gives the ability to control or establish "default contact" account(s) or default "Links" ........ and the ability to manage contact account "Links" ......... I don't know if there will be a way to correct what you are discribing if you are going to merge contacts lists into 1 system. I guess we'll see.

[mtitiz34]

Try Contact X from blackberry world...it may solve most if not all of your problems.

Posted via CB10

Loaded it on last night and just tried it out this afternoon. It does a really good job at condensing and organizing all your contacts. Then it allows you to save it to a .vcf file. Best $0.99 you'll ever spend

Posted via CB10

[duckduke]

Try Contact X from blackberry world...it may solve most if not all of your problems.

Thanks!! In another thread I also read where several like "IntouchApp Contacts". Not sure how Contact X works ....... but the IntouchApp merges contacts from several sources onto it's cloud. Therefore, once it's set up, all of your merged contacts are fully accessable to your phone, tablet, desktop...... etc. with on Intouch link. So .... it serves to be a complete contact backup and sync system.

For me ...... I don't think so. I think one of the challenges we already have is trying to merge/sync ............. multiple contact lists + Facebook + LinkedIn + Twitter. This alone is a challenge without adding another 3rd party system into the middle of the whole thing. Not now .... not for me. For others that want to go that route .... great!! I hope works well for you!!

Now that I understand what we have with BB10/Z10 ........... I really like it!! It just seems like it we be better if we had:
1) a default contact account(s) or default contact "Link(s)"
and
2) the ability to add/delete or manage Links in the edit contact mode
This would really allow for much better management of the existing contacts system.

[wobly]

I wanted to get rid of my local contacts and Contact X allowed me to do just that. I had the duplicate contacts issue like everyone else and turned off my "cloud" contacts. That left me with the local ones for the past couple of weeks. Yesterday, I had to update a contact and realized that having only local contacts sucks. So, I deleted the local ones and turned on Gmail contacts again. If that doesn't work right, I will get rid of that one and use outlook.com contacts instead.

[omega supreme]

Thanks!! In another thread I also read where several like "IntouchApp Contacts". Not sure how Contact X works ....... but the IntouchApp merges contacts from several sources onto it's cloud. Therefore, once it's set up, all of your merged contacts are fully accessable to your phone, tablet, desktop...... etc. with on Intouch link. So .... it serves to be a complete contact backup and sync system...

I tried the Intouchapp and it only shows 1 contact being managed. Doesn't have an option to view or upload contacts.

[duckduke]

I wanted to get rid of my local contacts and Contact X allowed me to do just that. I had the duplicate contacts issue like everyone else and turned off my "cloud" contacts. That left me with the local ones for the past couple of weeks. Yesterday, I had to update a contact and realized that having only local contacts sucks. So, I deleted the local ones and turned on Gmail contacts again. If that doesn't work right, I will get rid of that one and use outlook.com contacts instead.

This is great news .... all of my contacts are 'Local' and I haven't figured out a good way to get them moved like you did. It might be worth having the app for an hour just to accomplish this. (BUT, I am still trying to figure the whole management of contacts out and have not figured out the best way to store/sync contacts. And I don't know what will change on 10.1 ...... etc.)

OF INTEREST: I think I read here that some backed up all contacts with BB Links. They had an issue with Z10 and ended up restoring contacts from BB Links. All contacts where then linked to "Local". Even contacts that had apparently previously been from other sources (SIM, @email 1 sync, etc.) This is something to be aware of if you are using BB Links and adds another degree of difficulty to managing contacts. AGAIN .... I am not positive on this and have not confirmed. I looked for the post again and could not locate.

[Protocol 2001]

Here's the result of my contact fixing:

1. When you import contacts from another device they'll all come in as "local contacts" and will save locally and to the SIM card
2. Once you link your Outlook.com account and Facebook these contacts will start to flow in and some of them will auto link
3. When you're auto-linking the rest use your "local contact" as the starting point, or your Outlook.com account BUT NOT the FB contact
4. Updates to the new linked contact after you have linked it will go to both Outlook.com and the local contact
5. When you update a FB contact it'll create a local contact but your information will only APPEND to the FB contact
6. To change the display name of a FB contact, create a new contact with the name as you'd like. Make sure you use both a first and last name (ie first: "Uncle" last: "Steve" rather than first: "Uncle Steve"). Otherwise, FB will append the last name on FB to your contact and you might get "Uncle Steve Thomas". Link the FB contact to your newly created contact.
7. When you restore from the Link software, it'll duplicate all your Outlook.com contacts. To avoid this, unlink (in the Accounts settings) "Contacts" from Outlook.com. Back-up, Restore, then Re-enable Outlook.com contacts from the "Accounts" settings menu

Some other tips:

• SIM contacts are useless for the most part since they only take limited fields. I recommend NOT using SIM contacts.
• Outlook.com also links contacts (Outlook.com, FB, Skype). The links in Outlook.com don't carry over to your BB. Be prepared to double link (on your BB and on Outlook.com).
• New contacts created with your BB will auto create 3 contacts: Local, Outlook.com, SIM card.

I hope this is helpful. There is definitely a lack of documentation about the inner workings of the Contacts App and linking contacts. Hopefully this will be improved on in OS 11.

[ralfyguy]

Awesome post, thank you. Even though most of it I already learned myself the hard way. I still wanna know why (at least on MY phone), whenever I manually link contact entries, or make changes to them, after a reboot they're unlinked again.

Posted via CB10

[duckduke]

Here's the result of my contact fixing:
[LIST=1][*]When you import contacts from another device they'll all come in as "local contacts" and will save locally and to the SIM card

Mine were transfered/imported using the magic tool at the AT& T store.....all went to "Local" only. I guess the import tool goes both Local + SIM. I wonder if you had an email contact account sync'd when you do the import if the imported contacts would go to all 3 ...... Local + SIM + email contacts

1. When you're auto-linking the rest use your "local contact" as the starting point, or your Outlook.com account BUT NOT the FB contact
   
2. When you update a FB contact it'll create a local contact but your information will only APPEND to the FB contact
   
3. To change the display name of a FB contact, create a new contact with the name as you'd like. Make sure you use both a first and last name (ie first: "Uncle" last: "Steve" rather than first: "Uncle Steve"). Otherwise, FB will append the last name on FB to your contact and you might get "Uncle Steve Thomas". Link the FB contact to your newly created contact.

Your phone contact is apparently what you can add, change, delete etc. from your contacts app. Makes sense really. You can't update FB, LinkedIn, Twitter content from your contacts app. Any time you want to add, delete, change contact ...... you need to be dealing with your phone contact (not the social media contact).

1. When you restore from the Link software, it'll duplicate all your Outlook.com contacts. To avoid this, unlink (in the Accounts settings) "Contacts" from Outlook.com. Back-up, Restore, then Re-enable Outlook.com contacts from the "Accounts" settings menu

You are getting duplicates but here's why (I think). I read somewhere that when you restore data/contacts from BB Links they all go to "Local". So if you:
1-- Restore contacts from BB Links.... then
2-- Sync with Outlook
you have just created duplicates. 1 with "Links" to "Local" and 2 with "Links" to Outlook.

What I just described is why this happens. You need to understand the contact "Links" and how they work.

The method described above is a great method to prevent duplicates if you sync contacts with an email. If all of your contacts are "Local" like me..... the method is not applicable.

Again ..... you need to understand the "Links" and how they work in order to manage contacts.

[Protocol 2001]

Awesome post, thank you. Even though most of it I already learned myself the hard way. I still wanna know why (at least on MY phone), whenever I manually link contact entries, or make changes to them, after a reboot they're unlinked again.

In my experience, if you're doing your linking TO a FB (Twitter, Linked In, etc.) contact this'll happen. However, if you use you local contact or Outlook.com contact as the initial / base contact that's what has worked for me.