Contact Sync Non-functional

[dlbuccieri]

My Google Contact Sync isn't working at all. When I remove and readd the Gmail, the contact sync works once and then I'm back to square one. When I create new contacts on the phone I always create them under the Gmail account. Tried syncing over Wi-Fi and over LTE, and I still get errors when I try to sync contacts. My Drive, Books, and Calendar all sync without trouble. I had the same problem on my GS3 before I went to the GS4 and I've pored over every settings menu I can find to no avail. I've attached a screen cap of the error so you can see what I'm talking about. I'm out of ideas.

 

[friedtators]

Messaging at bottom tells me you should go on with your day. google will have it back online soon.

 

[dlbuccieri]

That's the thing.....it's been saying "It'll be back shortly" for a week. Had the same problem on my GS3 for a good 10 months.

 

[fatboy97]

If I remember correctly it happened to me when I first setup my main Gmail account... I clicked the Sync now button a couple times, then unchecked the Sync Contacts check and checked it again, then Sync now again... things started working ok after that, and I just checked and it's still working just fine after a couple weeks.

 

[757Dave]

This happened to me a while back on my old thunderbolt. What worked for me was to delete the google account from the phone (It's all backed up online if it is your google account.) Then add the account back to your phone and it started syncing after that. Hope this helps.

 

[dlbuccieri]

This happened to me a while back on my old thunderbolt. What worked for me was to delete the google account from the phone (It's all backed up online if it is your google account.) Then add the account back to your phone and it started syncing after that. Hope this helps.

I removed and re-added it but the error keeps coming back. :-(

- - - Updated - - -

If I remember correctly it happened to me when I first setup my main Gmail account... I clicked the Sync now button a couple times, then unchecked the Sync Contacts check and checked it again, then Sync now again... things started working ok after that, and I just checked and it's still working just fine after a couple weeks.

Just tried this....no dice.

 

[fatboy97]

So, none of this is working. It sounds like something is messed up on your device. If it was me I'd do a factory reset.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

You can probably search for related issues here on these forums, because I know I've read about this issue before. The fact that you've had the same issue on 2 devices now tells me that it's probably NOT related to anything on the device, but rather a "corrupt" contact in your actual Google database.

I've heard reports where folks were able to fix this issue by removing any Groups that they had setup (and then re-creating them after the sync was successful), but I think there were other things to look for as well... Again, sorry I don't have more info, I'm just trying to recall what I had read in a different thread about this same issue. I find more, I'll add it to this post...

EDIT: Some additional info I was able to quickly find...

Here's an example of a similar post: http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...-experiencing-problems-will-back-shortly.html
And this is the "Contacts Sync Fix" app referrenced in that thread: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...sSyncFix&feature=search_result&token=PDQloU6B

(Also see the note about International characters sometimes causing sync issues)

Before doing anything, I suggest exporting your contacts from Gmail just to be safe. To do this, logon to Gmail on your computer. Open the "Contacts" in gmail, then click on "More" (right above the contacts listing with the down arrow next to it). Choose "export". This way, you'll at least have a back up if anything goes wrong and your contacts get deleted.