Contact Quick Tasks, Gmail, and Facebook

[Tyree]

This "problem" has been driving me nuts. I say problem because it annoys me, but it's not a huge deal. I just want it to WORK.

Anyway, I have problems mostly with contact photos.

When I first got my phone, the initial sync from Facebook to Gmail/DroidX was painless. It assigned all the current contact photos (what I will call first generation photos) from facebook as expected. But, it won't update. I know it doesn't do this natively. You have to have some third party app to do it. I've tried a couple (SyncMyPix android app and .Google Contact Sync by heartofangel desktop app)

Right now, I can sync my facebook photos to Gmail with Google Contact Sync without issue. Works fine. Only works with contacts that are in your Gmail contacts, not all facebook contacts. BUT...getting those contact photos onto my phone is where the problems start.

If I look at my list of contacts on my phone, the thumbnail photos in the list are old (second generation photo after a sync a month ago with SyncMyPix, which was a joke...uninstalled). If I click a contact, then the photo on the details screen is correct (third generation photo after sync with Google Contact Sync). Why are they different?

Then there's the Contact Quick Tasks widget included in MotoBlur. Ooooh man. The pic on there is from the very first load of facebook photos (first generation) and it will NOT release it. I can delete all widgets and when I put them back, it's that same photo, over and over, no matter what I do. So, obviously, there's a cache somewhere that is storing that old photo and it will not overwrite it. Pain in the butt! And it's from those couple weeks on facebook when everyone was posting photos of cartoon characters. So, my wife is a pic of freakin' Rainbow Brite!!! GAH!

Does anyone have any suggestions for this annoyance. Why are contact photos so unwieldy??? Is it absolutely impossible to get realtime updates of the photos from facebook to my contacts? That would be sooooo nice.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[Cyber Warrior]

You need to sync your Facebook account to your contacts if you haven't done so. You said you synced FB to Gmail and only have FB contacts from Gmail. I'm not even sure how you did that.... when you add the FB account to contacts it will bring every friend to your contacts whether you have their phone number or not. Also set contacts to "All" under Display Group.

Contacts>Menu>More>Manage account>Add account>Facebook

 

[Tyree]

Sorry, I must not have been detailed enough on that part.

When I first got the phone, I indeed did sync ALL facebook contacts to my phone, and they're still there. Phone number or not.

What I meant was that using Google Contact Sync only lets you get photos from facebook that match contacts within Gmail, NOT what is on your phone. In other words, not all my facebook contacts that are available on my phone are also on Gmail. On facebook I have over 300 contacts, on Gmail, only 40.
Does that make sense? It's just what Google Contact Sync can do. So, it doesn't update all 300+ contacts on my phone with the current facebook photo. Only those that are also on Gmail. I haven't found an app yet that can do that.

 

[DroidDev]

Hi there. Facebook contacts will sync with contacts on your phone. Mine do, all 90 of them. Only 26 are on my google contacts. When I first synced I had to pair them up because their names were slightly different between facebook and what I had on my phone.

Try Sync My Pics on the android market.

 

[Tyree]

As I said, I tried SyncMyPix and it sucks. Out of over 300 contacts (95% of which are from facebook), it only syncs 40 of them. No matter how I change the settings, even if the names are identical, it will only do the same 40.

As far as I can tell, the facebook sync built into the phone only happens once. It does not keep the photo up-to-date. It takes some third party app to do this. But, I guess stuff like phone numbers and such do stay synced with facebook. Not sure.

All of my contacts are correctly linked where possible. It's not an issue of not being linked or connected to a facebook account. It just doesn't handle photo updating very well (or at all, at least not automatically).

 

[Cyber Warrior]

Not sure what you did but I have my FB and Google contacts synced to my phones contacts. All of my FB friends are in my contacts without having anything to do with Google contacts. Then I have all of my Google contacts. By default FB uses their pics for contacts. If the names don't match up you will have duplicates. You can go into each contact and link them to each other or try DroidDevs method which sounds easier.

Either way you should have all your FB contacts on the phone with their pictures. Has nothing to do with your Google contacts.

 

[DroidDev]

Im not sure why it isnt working for you but it updates mine just fine. Have you tried removing and re adding facebook account? Maybe just using the third party Facebook app? (remove the moto facebook connection first)

 

[Tyree]

As far as I can tell, all syncing works fine between facebook, Gmail, and phone with the exception of photos. Photos do NOT update automatically. If my wife changes her facebook photo today, it will NEVER show up on my phone or in Gmail without some sort of manual intervention.

That's the root of the issue. There is no problem with initial syncing of my contacts from facebook to my phone. It's all about the photos. They do not update after initial sync. The motorola widget being the worst about it.

If photos DID sync automatically between facebook and Google, then there would be no need for apps like SyncMyPix or Google Contact Sync. So, I know the phone does not do it on its own.

 

[Smahie]

No it will never update on it's own. Ever since Froyo (sept.) it no longer synced. If you root and install a blurless ROM like Liberty, it will work flawlessly again. Trust me, that is why I rooted...it drove me nuts!

 

[Smahie]

And oh...check your contacts in gmail and see if their photos are the ones being pulled for quick contacts.

 

[Tyree]

Gmail shows the correct photos. Only the moto Contact Quick Tasks widget shows the original one and refuses to change.