I have a stock android phone, is there a way to have a contact list that is not google affiliated?

[Paisley]

Well if you don't want to root, and that;s understandable, especialy with Motorola devices which are still aren't very open, I think you will have to look forward to a different platform like Ubuntu.

The vcf dialer that was rec'd worked out perfect. Lets me keep my contacts on my hardware without any issues, so that is a good solution for me for the relationship-based advertising and now i also won't get people's photos automatically sent to my contacts app in my phone, etc, so that i like as well. And then the 'a calendar' app makes it easy to have a local calendar, which means the 'guess whether that click syncs or doesn't' won't be an issue (since i never wanted or have used google for my calendar). Gtasks is good about having a "local" only app which doesn't try to sync. So the finding alternative apps for things, and changing which google services I use should get rid of the issues that occurred recently and will keep me opted out of services I didn't want to be an integral part of, and semi-opted out of both the all-in-one hardware/software/all services and the move from regular web services to social media and sharing type of thing as well. With that i can stick with the o/s, the google drive and playstore until they make it even harder to avoid the 'complete tie-in of all services and people or no phone for you!'. lol.

Thank you so much, all very much appreciated. : )

 

[Paisley]

Right. A different platform would be preferable to a bunch of pain-in-the-*** workarounds to avoid what looks to me to be a minor issue, particularly considering how it affects the ease of simply updating the phone and its features.

Someone had a solution, and it worked out. Wasn't too hard, turned out I could do it with an app. I asked for a way to have non-google affiliated contact list and viola! Someone found an easy way. Not so much a pain in the A in my book! .

 

[gone down south]

Until you lose your phone and all your data disappears.....

Sent from my Nexus 4 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Paisley]

Until you lose your phone and all your data disappears.....

Sent from my Nexus 4 using AC Forums mobile app

Thanks for the reminder, I think I saw a send it setting somewhere.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Paisley]

BAM:

For anyone interested, 2 super easy options. Both perfect. (or so they seem).

You're gonna laugh at how easy this is: Settings > Apps > Disable 'Google contacts/sync'. lol.

With this you won't be able to add contacts to gmail even if you wanted to. It disables Google contacts completely and your address book will be "local/non-sync". With that, that would be your only option, you won't have a choice to add a contact to your gmail account.

The other is an app called local account.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om.fjsoft.mylocalaccount&hl=en&token=s2fa_4Rj

With this you can have both. It's just adding a non-account account, this way you'll have a choice btwn adding a contact to either your gmail/google account OR your "my local account". Which i guess means almost any normal server account does the same thing, but i don't have a server account anywhere, and I guess that wouldn't really be local only sorta thing, I dunno. There's a couple other non-account accounts in the app store as well. Very easy: Install, the dummy account is added, next time you add a contact it will offer you the account choices just a gmail and the local "account". If you're viewing contacts from one account and not the other, touching the account label lets you go to the contacts display menu, but if you're viewing all you have to go to the 3 dot menu to change views.

Updating with Step by Step instructions for reference: For new Motorola and new Nexus phones. Looks like this is the first generation of Google and Motorola phones to not give owners a local phone book option. Tsk tsk, obviously not an oversight.

-If your contacts ended up in your gmail but you don't want them there, export them to "storage" (3 dot menu), it will be saved it as a vcf file.
-After that, delete your google contacts: [Settings > apps (all) > contacts > clear data/cache. And: Settings > apps (all) > contact storage > clear data/cache].
-Download the account app listed above. To import your contacts to your new local account, go to the vcf file (though a file manager app), click on it the file, it gives you 2 options. “Contacts” or “dialer”, click “Contacts” (ONCE), it will give you 2 options. “local account” or the gmail account. Choose local account. All your contacts will end up there.

(Obviously, if your contacts inadvertently went to your gmail account via a default link and sync, and you want to remove them, [make sure you do this last after you've saved your contacts to your local phone book and a vcf file] go to your Gmail site, pull down to contacts, click all, hit delete. They stay there for 30 days (start to type an email addy and you'll see), but will be gone from that Gmail account. Check all your gmail accounts if you have any more, to make sure they didn’t end up there as well.)

 

[milayo]

Thanks for this post. I found the "Google Contacts Sync" app and tried to disable it, but the "disable" button was greyed out - couldn't click on it. Surprise. So I might try the Local Account App!
I know it is impossible to have even close to 100% privacy in 2014, but I have the right to keep my phone numbers for my eyes only, good grief. It is ridiculous that a business forces me to use them. That's not good business, that's force.
Also, even on this forum, in order to see the link to the Local Account app, I had to register. Sigh. In trying to register, I was forced to watch advertisements in order to see the capcha phrase to prove that I am human(!). Then, it still wouldn't let me register until -presto!- I clicked, yes to receiving newsletters. Yeah, I'll be changing that setting shortly.
Ridiculous.

Update: YAY! The Local Account worked- Thank you!!!

 

[Paisley]

Thanks for this post. I found the "Google Contacts Sync" app and tried to disable it, but the "disable" button was greyed out - couldn't click on it. Surprise. So I might try the Local Account App!
I know it is impossible to have even close to 100% privacy in 2014, but I have the right to keep my phone numbers for my eyes only, good grief. It is ridiculous that a business forces me to use them. That's not good business, that's force.
Also, even on this forum, in order to see the link to the Local Account app, I had to register. Sigh. In trying to register, I was forced to watch advertisements in order to see the capcha phrase to prove that I am human(!). Then, it still wouldn't let me register until -presto!- I clicked, yes to receiving newsletters. Yeah, I'll be changing that setting shortly.
Ridiculous.

Well, regarding advertising, that's how they make money to keep the site going, and a lot of forums have captcha to get rid of bot activity. And I'd didn't have to opt into newsletters, so that's weird. But that's strange you couldn't disable. What phone do you have? Cuz that would be pretty lame if that wasn't an option. I know nexus5 and motos have the option..for now. lol.

Update to your update, awesome. .

 

[sauce_a_poutine]

To keep contact from being synced to Google, I disabled auto-sync on the phone, then disabled contact syncing from Gmail through the web mail portal. All my E-mail accounts are set to manual sync, to prevent Google form doing it's hypocrite contact syncing deeds. All contacts are created as "local contact", and the list gets backed-up to SD card and to SIM one in a while.

Killing the auto-sync and doing it manually has also helped to achieve significant power saving.

 

[Rukbat]

The other is an app called local account.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om.fjsoft.mylocalaccount&hl=en&token=Dwd8rIWk

With this you can have both. It's just adding a non-account account, this way you'll have a choice btwn adding a contact to either your gmail/google account OR your "my local account".

Or you can do it without any app. Google gives you option of entering a contact as an Account contact (that syncs with Google Contacts) or a Phone contact (that has nothing to do with Google) - it stays on your phone only.

Which i guess means almost any normal server account does the same thing, but i don't have a server account anywhere

You don't need one for a Phone contact - the phone is the "server".

, and I guess that wouldn't really be local only sorta thing, I dunno. There's a couple other non-account accounts in the app store as well. Very easy: Install, the dummy account is added, next time you add a contact it will offer you the account choices just a gmail and the local "account". If you're viewing contacts from one account and not the other, touching the account label lets you go to the contacts display menu, but if you're viewing all you have to go to the 3 dot menu to change views.

Tons of overthinking - Google built this all into Android.

And you can change any contact from one to the other at will. The only problem is that if your contacts are on your phone, and not backed up to someplace that will survive the theft or destruction of your phone, when the phone goes, so do all your contacts.

BTW, Google doesn't make a nickle from your contacts being on your server. It's called "give great service and people will flock to your door". Once you come to your door they try to sell you other things. Whether you fall for that is up to you.

 

[Paisley]

Or you can do it without any app. Google gives you option of entering a contact as an Account contact (that syncs with Google Contacts) or a Phone contact (that has nothing to do with Google) - it stays on your phone only.

You don't need one for a Phone contact - the phone is the "server".

Tons of overthinking - Google built this all into Android.

And you can change any contact from one to the other at will. The only problem is that if your contacts are on your phone, and not backed up to someplace that will survive the theft or destruction of your phone, when the phone goes, so do all your contacts.

Nope. On most phones, yes, but on the X you don't have the "phone" option. Then someone here checked their N5, no option there either.

BTW, Google doesn't make a nickle from your contacts being on your server. It's called "give great service and people will flock to your door". Once you come to your door they try to sell you other things. Whether you fall for that is up to you.

love it.

 

[someguy01234]

Nope. On most phones, yes, but on the X you don't have the "phone" option. Then someone here checked their N5, no option there either.

Actually this is true for any phone running stock KitKat, not just Nexus 5 and Moto X.

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