Can't search for contacts without a phone number

[dbpaddler]

Or so it seems. The contacts show if I scroll but don't show if I search.

Display options doesn't show an option about showing numbers contacts w/o numbers like other android phones.

 

[VidJunky]

How or by what means are you searching for these contacts? If you are using the phone app and trying to type their name on the number pad it makes sense that they wouldn't come up. The same would be true if you were composing an email and contacts you didn't have addresses for popped up.

As for the setting to only show contacts with numbers, I can only remember seeing something like that in SMS settings. I cannot recall ever seeing or using that or a similar setting in the phone or email app.

Let me know how you're attempting to search these contacts and maybe we can find something.

 

[dbpaddler]

How or by what means are you searching for these contacts? If you are using the phone app and trying to type their name on the number pad it makes sense that they wouldn't come up. The same would be true if you were composing an email and contacts you didn't have addresses for popped up.

As for the setting to only show contacts with numbers, I can only remember seeing something like that in SMS settings. I cannot recall ever seeing or using that or a similar setting in the phone or email app.

Let me know how you're attempting to search these contacts and maybe we can find something.

Are you familiar with Android? There is a setting to include contacts without phone numbers. This is basic in every phone I've owned. This isn't old palm days where contacts and phone are two separate apps. And this is basic functionality that's been around for years.

Not sure why, but it seems like people offer advice not knowing how android has worked over the years. This is the second thread where answers come off this way. Not trying to be a jerk, but it feels like people are windows phone or iPhone users and not familiar with Android. Or maybe people just haven't used their phones in certain ways or done their same thing forever and never explored more modern options for their work flow.

I have hundreds of contacts that are just information based, and don't have numbers attached. This is the first phone I've owned in five/six years easy that doesn't have this setting. It's called mfg's skinning android and not having clue, removing functionality. Can appreciate MS effort, but I feel like theyre taking away normal android customization in favor of their old windows phone roots. From what I've seen so far.

And maybe I'm just partially frustrated as I spent a half hour selecting one drive photos to delete only to see the delete button was grayed out. Never saw a limit on how many photos one can batch delete. Like it's tedious enough to clean out files. Now there's a limit on how many?

 

[VidJunky]

I'm confused now... Are you answering your own question or dogging me out for attempting to help you??? In the meantime that is exactly the setting I remember, I may have just forgotten where I saw it. Or perhaps I saw it in both places. Anyway you didn't answer any of my questions but I would like to point something out as a humble Android user that was merely misguided in trying to help the guru of Android but you're using a Microsoft device which isn't true Android so maybe that's why your Android options aren't the same.

Hopefully someone will be along to help you...

 

[dbpaddler]

I'm confused now... Are you answering your own question or dogging me out for attempting to help you??? In the meantime that is exactly the setting I remember, I may have just forgotten where I saw it. Or perhaps I saw it in both places. Anyway you didn't answer any of my questions but I would like to point something out as a humble Android user that was merely misguided in trying to help the guru of Android but you're using a Microsoft device which isn't true Android so maybe that's why your Android options aren't the same.

Hopefully someone will be along to help you...

That's on my Note. Don't see that option on the Duo. On Reddit someone said they made a numberless contact and can search for it. I can't search and find any of my numberless contacts.

 

[VidJunky]

I realized that was not the device. And I don't mean that in a nasty or snooty way, I just assumed based on how you worded everything in previous comment. But I also see that you are posting in the Microsoft Surface Duo thread. Microsoft devices use a Windows based version of something that is compatible with Android. I would imagine that is why the option is not there. I can only imagine there being several other differences as well.

But again;
How are you trying to search for these contacts? By opening the phone app and typing their names, by opening the contact app and searching in the search bar, in another app, how?

Have you considered trying to put fake numbers in the ones you want/need to search for? (000) 000-0000? I'm not even sure it would have to be a nine digit number. You might be able to get away with just putting two, three or four numbers in since there are so many short code numbers used in texting but this will probably depend on how and where you're trying to search for these contacts. Since you have "hundreds" I would imagine you would only want to do the ones you absolutely wanted as it would be quite the task to enter, even short code, numbers for so many.


I found this thread at Microsoft that talks about issues with searching for contacts, it sounds like for emailing purposes, which wouldn't necessarily have phone numbers. Perhaps there is some information there that might help you... https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...contacts/3f0a5d2f-0093-4c8b-a26b-f2e458bfce80

 

[dbpaddler]

I realized that was not the device. And I don't mean that in a nasty or snooty way, I just assumed based on how you worded everything in previous comment. But I also see that you are posting in the Microsoft Surface Duo thread. Microsoft devices use a Windows based version of something that is compatible with Android. I would imagine that is why the option is not there. I can only imagine there being several other differences as well.

But again;
How are you trying to search for these contacts? By opening the phone app and typing their names, by opening the contact app and searching in the search bar, in another app, how?

Have you considered trying to put fake numbers in the ones you want/need to search for? (000) 000-0000? I'm not even sure it would have to be a nine digit number. You might be able to get away with just putting two, three or four numbers in since there are so many short code numbers used in texting but this will probably depend on how and where you're trying to search for these contacts. Since you have "hundreds" I would imagine you would only want to do the ones you absolutely wanted as it would be quite the task to enter, even short code, numbers for so many.


I found this thread at Microsoft that talks about issues with searching for contacts, it sounds like for emailing purposes, which wouldn't necessarily have phone numbers. Perhaps there is some information there that might help you... https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...contacts/3f0a5d2f-0093-4c8b-a26b-f2e458bfce80

Appreciate you looking, and that's a different issue it seems. That's more of an account difference between outlook contacts and Google contacts.

I'm not about to go through a couple thousand contacts to find which ones don't have numbers and add dummy ones because Microsoft buggered up what worked normally for the past decade. Actually, since I owned my first Palm Pilot. So that would he about 25yrs.

And I generally go through the phone app and just search, as it should be. Going through a separate contacts app, again, would be something MS buggered up. And in neither app, under display settings, is a setting to display contacts without phone numbers. But it's time to complain on the MS site. Been a while since I got under people's skin there.

Thanks again.

 

[VidJunky]

While you're using a Microsoft phone Android apps do run on it, this got me to thinking that maybe we're making this more complicated than it has to be. Have you considered using Google assistant? You wouldn't have to open anything and no typing. I'm able to say, OK Google, Show me the contact information for Firstname Lastname, and it pulled up the contact just like I was looking at the contact card I have for them. I had to say it exactly as I phrased it to get that result. When I said, show me the contact for Firstname Lastname, it did a web search. I thought that was weird because speaking of the old things that just used to work, Google Assistant was supposed to prioritize its searches and results, Personal data, things on the device, apps and then web results. I guess now you just have to be specific or maybe it depends on the query.

One last note, I only have Google contacts but I would imagine if you've shared your Outlook contacts with your Contact app it would treat them all the same...?

 

[dbpaddler]

One... It's not overthinking when something that works since the inception of android doesn't work from a company trying to recreate windows phone on an android device. When phones from three other companies have the option to show or hide contacts, yet that option doesn't seem to be available in either the phone or contacts app.

Two... Not using voice search when out in public around people. And while driving just now I tried to look up AMZ, my abbreviation for Amazon as well as Schwab and Microsoft. Contacts I access for account info. The names are under company. I'm not redoing a fee hundred contacts to put company info in a field it doesn't belong in. But even then, I asked Google to show me the contact, show me contact info and so on for company xxxx. Or show me my contact... And a fee other variations. I get nothing remotely close to accessing anything from my contacts. I get the below.

Three... Have to deal with that when since the inception of the pda back to my sharp zaurus I could simply type in the contact name of any sort of any type of contact and it simply shows up be it from a search bar or just direct typing in the days of a physical keyboard.

Just don't understand the purpose of this limitation in the first place. Especially in a day when using a smartphone as an actual phone to make calls is a secondary function. And what does limiting actually do since most aren't simply scrolling through all their contacts when they can type a few letters to shorten the list and select.

I did ask on the MS community. Will be interesting to see if it gets any replies. I also think there is still a MS store at the mall. Wil stop by and give them my phone and ask them to search for a handful of contacts.

And I just use straight Google contacts. Don't care to associate my outlook account with gmail/Google. Bad enough my work email is outlook. I even disable the outlook app.

 

[dbpaddler]

Update. Half the problem is solved. Contacts app updated today. Now I can search for contacts without numbers there. Sadly that doesn't carry over to MS's Phone app. Shouldn't need two apps to do contacts. So this is definitely on MS for this. Just dumb.

 

[VidJunky]

Obviously I can't feel your pain in all of this but I at least understand your view on it. I really thought the Assistant thing was going to work and when I saw you had replied I excitedly popped in with hopes of success. I wish you all the best on the MS boards. I'm actually a little surprised that the question didn't already exist there. But I guess that would require a lot of variables to line up.

Hope you find your solution.

 

[dbpaddler]

Obviously I can't feel your pain in all of this but I at least understand your view on it. I really thought the Assistant thing was going to work and when I saw you had replied I excitedly popped in with hopes of success. I wish you all the best on the MS boards. I'm actually a little surprised that the question didn't already exist there. But I guess that would require a lot of variables to line up.

Hope you find your solution.

Ha. I've done that. It's like dude, just do x, Y, z. Problem solved. And then, nope. You're like, damnit!

Thanks. If this is the worse work flow thing I have to deal with on this phone, I guess I'm doing alright. I can't get wahoo to sync with my spin bike or Garmin watch (broadcasting hr), but I can't get my new note 20 to or lg G7. Have to use my old A50 which for some reason still does.

The apps that don't format well to 4:3 is probably my biggest annoyance at the moment.