Facebook and Nexus?

[mjhubbard]

I am still doing some catch up, so forgive me if this has been talked about before.

It is clear that facebook will not integrate with nexus as it does with other phones. I know this is due to some kind of dispute between google and facebook.

What is not clear is if this is a temporary problem or permanent? Is this just a matter of google releasing an update soon. The reviews say that adding a facebook account in the accounts section is there, but that it does not work. What is the history on this issue?

If Facebook integration is not going to be coming soon, what are the options? are there any good apps? Googling "galaxy nexus facebook integration" does not yield much.

 

[ultravisitor]

Why not just download the Facebook app? What are you trying to achieve that can't be done with the Facebook app?

 

[mjhubbard]

Well for one, the facebook app is reportedly not working for now.

Second, I am referring to the integration of Facebook contacts with the contacts on the phone. Downloading the contacts and linking them to your phone contacts so that when you go to a phone contact, you see all the facebook pulled information.

To my knowledge, this has always been a function of the OS, not the facebook app. If I am wrong, I would appreciate if some one could explain it.

 

[Droid800]

Well for one, the facebook app is reportedly not working for now.

Second, I am referring to the integration of Facebook contacts with the contacts on the phone. Downloading the contacts and linking them to your phone contacts so that when you go to a phone contact, you see all the facebook pulled information.

To my knowledge, this has always been a function of the OS, not the facebook app. If I am wrong, I would appreciate if some one could explain it.

Its never been a feature of the OS. Its always been a feature of the app.

With Gingerbread, though, Google cut Facebook off from having access to your phonebook, which means that it cannot sync with contacts. None of the Android phones I've had have featured this, unless they had skins. (and ALL of those apps synced it through a manufacturer specific app)


Google disables contact sync in Facebook for Android, but only Nexus S for now -- Engadget

 

[jephanie]

I'm wondering about the same thing as the OP. Any info from the experienced Android crowd would be nice. My Crapberry integrates my Facebook contacts with the general contact listing and I would prefer to have that same capability with this device.

 

[Johnbibbs]

It hasn't been in the os since at least the Nexus S. There is an app called Friend Sync that does the job nicely. It's free in the market.

Sent from somewhere using something to send it.

 

[yapkuen]

To my knowledge, this has always been a function of the OS, not the facebook app. If I am wrong, I would appreciate if some one could explain it.

My understanding is that the responsibility is shared. The first time you run the Facebook app, it asks you if you want to import contact information. If you say yes, then the Facebook app imports the contact info to your phone contacts, at which point when you go into Contacts/People/whatever your incarnation of Android calls it, you have the option of linking those entries that were added by Facebook with existing entries in your contacts, with the linking itself being performed by Android.

From what little I've read about it, Google has stopped providing Facebook with the API they need to sync the contact info, thus preventing the app from importing info into the phone contacts.

 

[legendarydog]

ICS is highly integrated with Google+, their own social networking site. They are trying to push people away from Facebook. The problem is that more people have accounts on Facebook so, the Facebook app is more useful because you can check up on your status updates of almost all your friends, as opposed to a small majority of your friends on Google+.

Google status that the People app will allow developers of other social networks to be integrated into it as well. That said, here's hoping that the newest Facebook update (that is rumored to best just around the corner) is already compatible with ICS and takes advantage of the People app integration.

 

[Droid800]

My understanding is that the responsibility is shared. The first time you run the Facebook app, it asks you if you want to import contact information. If you say yes, then the Facebook app imports the contact info to your phone contacts, at which point when you go into Contacts/People/whatever your incarnation of Android calls it, you have the option of linking those entries that were added by Facebook with existing entries in your contacts, with the linking itself being performed by Android.

From what little I've read about it, Google has stopped providing Facebook with the API they need to sync the contact info, thus preventing the app from importing info into the phone contacts.

Not quite. The API is still there (its a generic contacts access API), but the part of it that allowed Facebook to sync data from the app and to the contacts is no longer available. Also, all of it was done by the Facebook app. Android itself did nothing .

 

[yapkuen]

Also, all of it was done by the Facebook app. Android itself did nothing .

Are you referring specifically to disappearance of the ability to pull down contact data from Facebook? Because I've always had to manually merge my FB contact info with phone contact info through the Android UI in Contacts. I figured that meant it was being handled by Android, but maybe I was just mistaken about it.

 

[Droid800]

Are you referring specifically to disappearance of the ability to pull down contact data from Facebook? Because I've always had to manually merge my FB contact info with phone contact info through the Android UI in Contacts. I figured that meant it was being handled by Android, but maybe I was just mistaken about it.

You would only have to merge it if the names were different. The app itself would merge all of the ones that matched. If you uninstalled the app or did a factory reset, the app itself was smart enough to remember the merged data. (like matching 'mom' with my mom's name)

Here's an interesting thing though; I think Facebook retains that data, so even though its not able to sync, per se, it still remembers who was who. (at least it did that on the last gingerbread phone I had)

 

[mjhubbard]

So if I understand properly, my facebook integration was a product of a non google contacts app. The manufacturers used their own contacts applications with their skins, and this is where the facebook contacts ended up. So when I use an HTC or a Motorola, I am not actually using the google contacts app, and that is why facebook was able to put its contacts into the app.

Do I follow properly?

 

[Small_law]

There used to be a sort of trick to get Facebook to sync with your Google contacts if you have an Apple device. You set up your gmail account through Exchange and enable contacts in iOS and then enable "sync contacts" and "replace pictures" in the Facebook iOS app. This worked regardless of Gingerbread. Once I did this on my ipod touch, all the pictures showed up in my contacts on my Thunderbolt. I also have the Facebook app from the market on my Thunderbolt but I never signed into the Sense version that came preinstalled. The pics also showed up on my wifi Xoom.

I don't think it's been working since the iOS 5 update though. Try it if you have an ipod touch or an ipad.

 

[Droid800]

So if I understand properly, my facebook integration was a product of a non google contacts app. The manufacturers used their own contacts applications with their skins, and this is where the facebook contacts ended up. So when I use an HTC or a Motorola, I am not actually using the google contacts app, and that is why facebook was able to put its contacts into the app.

Do I follow properly?

Sort of, but not really.

If you had a stock device (or really any device), you could choose to have the Facebook app sync friend data to your contact lists. Many of those skinned contact apps were heavily, heavily modified, but that has little to do with the contacts and syncing facebook contacts. Those skins also offer syncing options of their own instead of the Facebook version, but that is separate from what's being discussed here.

 

[mjhubbard]

So I guess this come back to the orriginal question.

If I get a nexus, and I download the facebook app (once it is out for ICS), will I be able to have facebook sync my facebook contacts with my phone contacts so that pictures, work info, etc, maybe even status updates, are listed with the contact in the contact app on the phone? I could do this on my Motorola Droid 2 running ginger bread.

 

[mechapathy]

The reason Facebook contacts haven't synched since GB is, as I understand it, because FB didn't use the contacts API correctly. Google wants all contacts to sync with them, which means they must first be stored on the device. Ever notice FB contacts aren't editable? That's cuz they don't have a copy on the device. If FB decides to implement contact sync correctly, we'll see this feature return. Otherwise you'll have to use a 3rd party solution.

 

[willhicks]

I'm running ICS on my Captivate and know exactly what you're talking about. Although there is an option to add a Facebook account in the "Accounts and Sync" settings, when you click on the option it just goes back to the previous page. When I first saw this, I thought that if I just downloaded the Facebook app that I could just sync my contacts through the app, like i have done previously on other versions of Android. Unfortunately, this is not the case. So far, I have found no way to sync Facebook contacts.

 

[mjhubbard]

So what would be the 3rd party solution?

 

[yapkuen]

You would only have to merge it if the names were different. The app itself would merge all of the ones that matched. If you uninstalled the app or did a factory reset, the app itself was smart enough to remember the merged data. (like matching 'mom' with my mom's name)

Here's an interesting thing though; I think Facebook retains that data, so even though its not able to sync, per se, it still remembers who was who. (at least it did that on the last gingerbread phone I had)

Hmmm, weird. I don't think that ever worked on my DInc, even back in the Froyo and Eclair days. I always had to link 'em myself. Sense was pretty good at predicting correct linkages, but the last step was always up to me. Oh well, learn something new every day. Guess that means I won't have anything to miss on the Galaxy Nexus

 

[mechapathy]

So what would be the 3rd party solution?

Someone mentioned one on the first page. I believe it was called Friend Sync or something like that. Keep in mind this probably won't give you status updates from the people hub, but it should give your FB-only contacts back.

Hopefully Facebook gets their shtuff together, and builds in support for the contacts API. But you know FBs Android dev team. . .they're just so lazy, it seems.