Synching with iPhone 5s contacts from Act!

[StevieW]

Hi Forum members

I have a question relating to how the data in the iPhone 5s original contacts dataset gets updated by Dejaoffice. To set the scene - I have +5k contacts in Act! on the pc and these are synching with the Dejaoffice contacts in my iPhone with no issues. However, iPhone or Dejaoffice somehow transfers these contact to the iPhone contact list and uses this data set for phoning, favourites, sms texts, etc. One contact has deleted his mobile so I deleted it in Act! and synched with the iPhone which removed it from Dejaoffice but the mobile number is still in iPhone contacts and also set as a favourite number so I can call it (but don't want to as it is no longer his).

Any thoughts on how to get the iPhone to recognise that this dataset has changed?

[DJOCTO]

StevieW, welcome to the forum.

It sounds like you have had the native Phone sync turned on at some point, but it is turned off now.

Go into DejaOffice Settings, Sync Settings, and turn the Sync Contacts on so it goes to native. This will ensure that any contacts deleted in Act! will delete from the native phone book.

You may want to also review any related syncs (are you using iCloud to Outlook) as these will form a tenuous chain of related records; particularly when mixing sync vendords. We suggest that if you use DejaOffice and CompanionLink, that you remove any dependency on iCloud or CalDAV sync.

[StevieW]

Hi DJOCTO

Sorry for the delay in responding (I didn't realize that you had posted a reply until I looked again). This worked. It took me a while to logically get my head around the problem but it was Icloud synch with the native contacts and maintaining their presence on the phone. Once I turned this off in the Settings of the iPhone and resynched with a delete first it worked and the unwanted ones disappeared.

thanks again.

Steve

[StevieW]

Hiya

Well, another funny thing has started happening and that it texts to me are coming up with the number but no name. Clicking on the information bubble shows an empty contact but it's very definitely the same number that my contacts are using as when I go to text them from contacts I can see that it is.

Deja sync settings on contacts are on with no other options set to on (behind the Sync settings)

I am not sure if these two features are connected but it does seem odd that this 'lost identity' of contacts started this week.

Any thoughts please?

[StevieW]

I have resolved this with help from the amazing Noelle in the Apple call centre in Ireland. Dejaoffice recommends turning off the synching of the native contacts with iCloud to avoid confusing - fair enough, but when you do this the iPhone asks if you want to delete or keep the file on the phone. I deleted it as I thought it was unnecessary and this was wrong as it is this file that the phone uses in SMS to get the name and number links. I was getting all sorts of anomalies such as text a name, it goes out as a number and comes back from the recipients email but as a message. Bizarre.

I think though that as this iCloud file is then no longer in the synch loop it will drift out of synch over time and you must be aware of this and include it in the update process. However, when you turn iCloud Contacts back on again it will result in your native contacts adding back any contacts you may have deleted in Act!. The only way around this is to log onto iCloud.com and access the iCloud contacts there, delete them all and then turn on the iCloud Contacts in the iPhone. I managed to work out a logic that left Act! with the correct database and an empty database on the iPhone and iCloud which I then repopulated with the dejaoffice synch. This will erase all the native contacts as it will synch with the empty database and/or synch phone with the correct contacts in the iPhone. Once you get all databases in synch again you can turn off iCloud Contacts and do not delete the file from the phone as miraculously the sms side of things works perfectly. Anyway, you'll get the picture at Companion Link and hopefully update the FAQ or help screens to explain this more clearly.