[Update: fixed] Google confirms major sync issue with Contacts app affecting devices across manufacturers

Update (December 09):

The issue has been fixed. Here is what an expert (Top Contributor) said on the relevant forum thread:

Ok fixed it. Go to system settings>apps. Show all then click three dots to show system apps. Then find contacts storage and tap that. Then storage and clear app data.Then everything will update

Original story below:

Today, Google has confirmed a major issue with its Contacts app. The problem in question is preventing a complete sync of contacts from Google server to users’ phones. It was just yesterday when complaints started pouring in on the official Google forums, Reddit, as well as Twitter, and a quick look now reveals the number of complaints have literally snowballed.

To put in plainly, users setting up a new device or re-syncing their Google contacts for some reason are terribly annoyed after observing that not all their contacts are getting synced. And manually adding the missing ones isn’t just an option for many.

After going through almost all the complaints on these forums and Twitter, we can confirm that the problem is not specific to any device, as users of Pixels, OnePlus, Samsung, and well as other brands are all reporting it.

Also, although complaints started pouring in after the arrival of Android 8.1, there are many Android 8.0 users who are facing this issue. Some reports even mention Nougat.

So what’s left is the Contacts app. A quick look at the app’s Play Store listing reveals there was an update pushed out on December 4, and it’s highly likely that the update has broken something, leading to the behavior what users are reporting.

Although we aren’t sure if it’s related, but still worth mentioning that some of those affected are also reporting that the ‘Contacts’ section in the Account Sync Settings display an error message stating Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly.

Some of those who did some debugging found that only those contacts fail to sync that have either a URL (Profile or Website link) associated with them, or a relationship or anniversary date set. Removing this type of information from missing contacts (something you can do by heading to contacts.google.com) fixed the problem for most users.

But clearly, that’s not an option for everyone. Here’s a comment from an expert on the official Pixel user community:

With Android users chiming all over, Google has at least started investigating the matter, as confirmed by another expert on the forum.

Officially, Google employee Orrin in his recent post asked users for bug reports, presumably for debugging purposes.

Hope the fix arrives soon. Meanwhile, we are keeping a close eye on the matter, and will report all related developments as and when they happen.

Following is a selection of Tweets – by different Android users – complaining about the problem.

https://twitter.com/googlenexus/status/938539313398255617
https://twitter.com/nachoherrera/status/938515904878514179
https://twitter.com/brkattk/status/938499708007395329
https://twitter.com/tfkhsr/status/938450564148580352
https://twitter.com/MascotRohit/status/938422883637800961
https://twitter.com/bleepsake/status/938304416112930817
https://twitter.com/hackworks/status/938427664490098688
https://twitter.com/MarkDotPeters5/status/938164654743982080

Pixel User Community | Reddit 1 2 | OnePlus Forum | Google Issue Tracker

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