How does Google account contacts work?

[acsurfer]

I want to store contacts in my Google account.

I am wondering how does Google contacts work if I turn off mobile data?

Is it that Sync is a must to do so that Google account all contacts will appear in your phone and stored inside the phone, so you can use the contacts even if you cannot connect to the internet or turn off mobile data?

I heard of syncing, does it mean just turn on the "Sync" button at Samsung S4 dropdown notification menu and the Google account contacts will become same as the Google account contacts in the phone?

If I enter a new contact number in my phone, do I need to turn on mobile data?

Thanks.

 

[SpookDroid]

Sync is the action of matching whatever data is on Google's servers to whatever data is on your devices. If the sync detects new data or modified stuff in any of your devices, it will take the newest modification and use that to sync across the rest of your devices and server data (fret not, should you make a mistake, Google lets you go back to previous dates, so you can undo any sync errors you might have caused).

With that being said, your contacts will always reside on your phone. You don't need network access to use them or create them, even on the Google account. What happens if you don't have a network connection is that the change or new contact does not get saved to Google's servers until you connect to the Internet AND sync your data. So, unless you sync, those new contacts will not show up in any other device but the one you created it on.

 

[acsurfer]

1. When making a call to a contact we are actually accessing to the Google contacts that is on the phone (that are synced from Google account contacts) and not directly accessing to Google contacts in Google account?

2. When you are using/adding/deleting/editing Google contacts information on the phone, it is actually using the set of Google contacts in the phone (that are synced from Google account contacts) and not directly accessing to Google contacts in Google account?

3. "Google lets you go back to previous dates, so you can undo any sync errors you might have caused" > How to do this?

4. Could you share your method of syncing? Do you turn on Sync every night, set some auto schedule sync or something? I assume Sync means turn on the "Sync" button at Samsung S4 dropdown notification menu?

Thanks

 

[B. Diddy]

1. When making a call to a contact we are actually accessing to the Google contacts that is on the phone (that are synced from Google account contacts) and not directly accessing to Google contacts in Google account?

Yes, it is the locally stored contact information that the phone is using.

2. When you are using/adding/deleting/editing Google contacts information on the phone, it is actually using the set of Google contacts in the phone (that are synced from Google account contacts) and not directly accessing to Google contacts in Google account?

Yes again--you're editing local information, which then gets synced to your Google account in the cloud (if you have Sync turned on).

4. Could you share your method of syncing? Do you turn on Sync every night, set some auto schedule sync or something? I assume Sync means turn on the "Sync" button at Samsung S4 dropdown notification menu?

I typically turn off my network connection overnight, and with it the sync. Sync occurs quickly, so when I'm ready to use the device, I toggle my network connection on (either wi-fi or mobile data) and then turn on Sync as well.

 

[Rukbat]

3. "Google lets you go back to previous dates, so you can undo any sync errors you might have caused" > How to do this?

At Google Contacts. (More/Restore contacts. You can restore anything you deleted or changed in the last 30 days. After that the change becomes permanent.)

4. Could you share your method of syncing? Do you turn on Sync every night, set some auto schedule sync or something?

I almost always have my phone on wifi (I'm retired, so I'm at home or my daughter's house a lot, and a few of my doctors have open wifi at their offices.) So if I change a contact, on the phone or at Google Contacts (the website), my phone syncs pretty quickly. If I change something when I'm not online (and my family uses Cozi so that we all know who needs whom to be where when, and I put things in there a lot when I'm offline - same thing happens as does for syncing with Google Contacts) everything syncs up as soon as I go back online.

 

[SpookDroid]

I usually leave sync on at all times. Unlike very old phones, sync no longer 'polls' for information every certain amount of minutes/seconds/hours. It's very battery-efficient now, and you only sync when a change is detected. If you make a change to your contacts, it syncs JUST THAT CONTACT and done. If a contact is changed somewhere else, Google pushes the change to your phone and saves the new data.

If you disable the sync option, however, a few things that a smartphone is supposed to be able to do, well, it won't, like receiving instant notifications for e-mail or other apps, etc.

Sure, turning Sync off will help your battery in the end, but it also knocks down your smartphone's IQ to half of how smart it can be.

 

[acsurfer]

When you turn on [Sync], you must also turn on [WiFi] or [Mobile Data] so the Sync can work?

 

[acsurfer]

Is there any cons if I turn on [Wifi] at all times?

I am turning on Sync and Wifi at all times, so I guess when the phone reaches anywhere that has Wifi, it would have internet connection and automatically Sync. Is that a good idea?

 

[Rukbat]

I once tried to see how long the battery would last on my Note 3. Wifi was on, all the other radios (except for voice, which is a radio) were off. I didn't touch the phone. The battery lasted over 4 days before telling me to plug in the charger. So I don't think the wifi radio takes much power. (And I have it set to stay on during sleep.)

The only time my wifi is off is when I'm not near a known wifi signal or an AT&T hotspot. (I use Tasker to turn it off when I lose signal and connect when I'm near a known signal.)

If you're moving around where there usually isn't wifi, and you have it set to automatically scan, that can use a bit of the battery, but not that much.