Possible to sync different contacts w/same email address?

[lindend]

I sync my contacts w/Google Contacts and am running Jellybean 4.2.1 on the Nexus 4. My issue is a husband and wife I know share the same email address but have different cell #s. Android refuses to show the wife in my contact list as long as she shares the same email address with the husband. If I remove the email address for the wife, she shows up in my contact list. The moment I add it back, on the next sync, she disappears from the contact list.

Questions:

1. Is there any way to stop android from marking a contact as a duplicate if the cell # differs but the email is the same?
2. Is there anyway to override the duplicate detection for a specific contact?

 

[MobileMadness002]

Any reason they need to have the email addresses in their contact information? As you know they share the same address, you can create a new entry, say "Dianne and Sam email", with only the email address, and remove the email address from each of the separate contact entries.

I just tested using Google Contacts. Test #1 and Test #2 both using the same email address. Each synced to the phone just fine and showed separately. Grant you I am 4.1.1 so it may be different, but I don't really think it is. Ahhhh, I see. Googles Merge duplicates shows the 2 entries as being duplicate. Unfortunately that has nothing to do with Android, that is entirely on Google.

 

[lindend]

Any reason they need to have the email addresses in their contact information?

It doesn't have to be this way, but I didn't realize that I would run into this problem either. At this point, I'd prefer to solve this just because its a technical challenge.

As you know they share the same address, you can create a new entry, say "Dianne and Sam email", with only the email address, and remove the email address from each of the separate contact entries.

Thanks. This is a good fallback solution if I can't solve it.

Googles Merge duplicates shows the 2 entries as being duplicate. Unfortunately that has nothing to do with Android, that is entirely on Google.

I checked yesterday, and Google doesn't consider these contacts as being duplicates (maybe because they have different cell #'s or maybe because I have a picture for each one)?

 

[MobileMadness002]

It doesn't have to be this way, but I didn't realize that I would run into this problem either. At this point, I'd prefer to solve this just because its a technical challenge.



Thanks. This is a good fallback solution if I can't solve it.



I checked yesterday, and Google doesn't consider these contacts as being duplicates (maybe because they have different cell #'s or maybe because I have a picture for each one)?

Dont know what to tell ya, Google seen my test Entry #1 and Test Entry #2 using MM@test.com each as being duplicate entries when I selected to Merge Duplicate from the gmail screen. Best of luck finding the solution. I should also add that each had a different phone number, 999999999 and 999999998 respectively.

 

[lindend]

I have an old ginger bread phone lying around. It doesn't have this problem/limitation. Both contacts show up. From what you're seeing with 4.1.1, sounds like this is a 4.2.1 regression or limitation.

 

[lindend]

Looks like this is a limitation or "feature" that came w/Google+ integration. Looking at the contact info in Google, when the same email address is used, both contacts share the same connected profile. More details (complaints) can be found here.

Google Groups

 

[MobileMadness002]

Ahhhhhhhhh. Never thought of that. Google+.

 

[pkturner]

I've had this issue as long as I've been using my Nexus 5, more than a year. A married couple shares the same email address but has different phones. I kept trying to add Colleen, but Android Contacts would not show her in the contacts list, instead folding her in with David.

Today I updated to Android 5.1. Emboldened by the information that 5.1 Contacts "lose Google+ linkage", I tried again with success. I went to the contact, tapped the pencil for "Edit Contact", tapped the ... menu, and found an option to "Separate". The "Separate" option does exactly what it should.

Before doing that (and I don't know how much this matters) I went to the Accounts settings for Google. Tapped the email address of my account and discovered a nice range of Sync settings. It was interesting to see a wide range of services that I was unaware of and that Google has been synchronizing for me -- some of them not since last year and others synced today. I turned off sync for Contacts and a few others.

I've never used Google Fit to track my walking/jogging, and now (hopefully) advertisers won't be doing it either.