Why doesn't Evo recognize 7-digit phone numbers?

[nightmare]

This has been a pet peeve of mine. I save all of my contacts as a 10-digit number, but often dial the number from memory, using only 7 digits. When I do this, the phone doesn't recognize that the contact is saved, and shows it as an unsaved number.

Ex:

I want to call 123-555-1212, which is saved in my contacts.
I dial 5551212.
Phone (Evo) doesn't recognize, and then shows as "unsaved contact"

Is there some setting that I'm missing that fixes this?

 

[posguy99]

Is there some setting that I'm missing that fixes this?

No, this started with the Hero's 2.1 update, and apparently Sprint thinks only exact matches need apply, vs the old fuzzy match. Then they propagated the same silliness to the Evo

There's no configuration option for it.

You could always use a replacement dialer.

 

[kevins669]

I agree that this is a huge fail. Every phone I have ever had would match the contact properly.

I contacted HTC, and they said there is no "problem," it is working as designed... I told them that the problem is the design, but of course the run-around just continued... so I gave up.

 

[Darth Mo]

If it annoys you that much, just add the seven digit number to whatever contacts you dial manually. Can't be that many, is it?

I remember on the Palm Pre forums that someone had contacts with the same seven digit number but different area codes and the phone would arbitrarily choose which contact to associate. While the odds of that are like one in a billion, I think the 10 digit method is the proper one.

 

[scrubcst]

If it annoys you that much, just add the seven digit number to whatever contacts you dial manually. Can't be that many, is it?

I remember on the Palm Pre forums that someone had contacts with the same seven digit number but different area codes and the phone would arbitrarily choose which contact to associate. While the odds of that are like one in a billion, I think the 10 digit method is the proper one.

iagree

 

[nightmare]

All of my contacts are saved with 10-digit numbers.

I think that's a really piss-poor decision to not do something that's been a feature in a cell phone since I can remember. Even more disappointing that it wasn't always that way, but HTC/Sprint made it do that.

I guess I can try and find a dialer that works a little better, any suggstions?

 

[hypocaffeinemia#AC]

So you remember your contacts' 7-digit numbers but not their names? Because I just start typing their name and they appear near instantly.

 

[MarqBland]

That also bugs me. Dialing their number is more natural than dialing their name. I have multiple Chris/Christopher/etc so dialing by name would require me to remember if I have them by whatever name in the phone book. Simply, there is no excuse for it not to be able to dial with just seven digits. Making an excuse puts you on the path with hose iPhone guys who always make excuses for a problem with their phone. It annoys me when they do it, so please realize that the Evo is not without fault.

 

[Carpus]

I agree that this is something that needs to be fixed. The fact that the phone can't recognize the 7 digit number of a contact is really poor design.
Contacts need to have the 10 digit number for sms purposes.
Entering a name to bring up the correct number is not a valid solution.
Entering the number and having the phone know who you are calling is what it needs to do.

 

[nightmare]

So you remember your contacts' 7-digit numbers but not their names? Because I just start typing their name and they appear near instantly.

It's quicker for me just to dial the # than for me to figure out which keys to type based on their first names.

I came from a Pre, so I also liked being able to search by initials to find contacts and dial from there. I used that a lot as well.

 

[GadgetGator]

Maybe I am mistaken but I thought that some places in the U.S. now require all ten digits to be dialed. So maybe that's why this is set up this way. Just a thought.

 

[Lorak]

So you remember your contacts' 7-digit numbers but not their names? Because I just start typing their name and they appear near instantly.

same here.

 

[AdamC]

Can anyone recommend a good alternative dialer, preferably free and with landscape support?

 

[nightmare]

I guess I just don't understand how a "cutting edge" phone like the Evo can't have a simple feature like that incorporated in it. Plenty of other, lower cost non-Android phones have it, and they actually bothered to remove the feature? C'mon, that makes no sense.

 

[k2ldc10]

Thanks for this post. I am glad I am not the only one who thinks being able to dial 7 digits should find a contact. My flip phone had abbreviated dialing so I could dial the last 4 digits of the number and I could find the contact. It should be a basic feature.

 

[hypocaffeinemia#AC]

It's quicker for me just to dial the # than for me to figure out which keys to type based on their first names.

I came from a Pre, so I also liked being able to search by initials to find contacts and dial from there. I used that a lot as well.

You can search by initials on the EVO, too.

(also came from the pre)

Or just hold down the search button and tell it to call x name or number without looking at it...

 

[its_miller_time]

Well you would want the 10 digit one in case you travel out of your home area code and need to dial back, or else you would manually have to dial the 10 digit number.

I believe my Curve 8330 did this, too...

 

[hdhuntr]

Glad to know I am not the only one thinking this is stupid and bush league. I love everything else about my EVO but it bugs me that 7 digit vs 10 digit appear to be different contacts. Makes call history pretty well useless.

 

[verwon]

I'm so used to using names to dial, I don't even look at or remember numbers, anymore.

 

[timkedojeh]

Hey, give me a call: 204-6894.

Now, if you call that number, who are you actually calling? Me? If I'm not in your area code, then no, you'd be calling someone completely different (or no one at all). That's the problem with seven-digit numbers, and the reason why quite a few areas require the full ten-digit number for dialing nowadays. With area-code overlap, there just isn't any reliable way of ensuring that calling someone with a seven-digit number is going to get to the right person.

Since your phone is mobile, you can't always assume you're going to be in the same area code; so why trust seven-digit numbers at all?