New Google Contacts Sync Update: A Blessing and a Curse – Discover the Pros and Cons
Connecting your Google account is a crucial step when setting up a new Android device, and it offers several benefits. By logging in, you can quickly load your phone with your information, preferences, and even some app data. As part of this process, Google synchronizes the contacts saved to your account using the Google Contacts app. However, there has been a recent change in the sync settings behavior that you should be aware of: turning off sync may result in the removal of some contacts from your device, tho it will be available on the cloud and when you turn on sync it will accessible again on your device.
New Google Contacts Sync Update
The days of having to manually import contacts through file transfers are long gone. However, not everyone wants to keep sync turned on all the time for various reasons. Previously, when users disabled contact sync, their Google accounts would simply stop updating the contact list across linked devices. However, with the May 2023 Google Play System Update, a new behavior has been introduced. Now, if you decide to turn off sync, contacts that were previously synced will be removed from your device.
This change in sync settings may sound useful for maintaining separate contact lists on different phones while sharing the same account. For instance, when setting up a work phone, you might want to avoid adding work contacts to your personal Google account, even though you need the account for other apps like Gmail or fitness tracking. However, it can also be problematic if contacts vanish entirely due to accidentally turning off Google Contacts sync.
How To Tackle Google Contacts Sync New Update?
Thankfully, rectifying this situation is straightforward. If you accidentally turn off Google Contacts sync and your contacts disappear, you can easily fix it. Just navigate to Settings > Passwords & accounts > your Google account > Account Sync > Contacts and ensure that the toggle is turned on. In case of any accidental mishaps, remember that your contacts are still safely stored in the cloud. To avoid any scares, you may also consider periodically backing up your contacts to local storage (More details).
While the new Google Contacts sync behavior can be a positive change for those who are technically proficient, it may cause unnecessary alarm if you were not aware of the new behavior. To completely avoid the potential consequences of this change, you can simply leave the sync function turned on.
What are your thoughts on this recent change? Do you find it convenient or do you think it will be more of a hassle? We would love to hear your thoughts, so please share them in the comments section below. And also follow us on Twitter or you can join our Telegram Channel or follow us on Google News.