New contacts added to iPhone do not sync over to Address Book

Question

New contacts added to iPhone do not sync over to Address Book

New contacts added to my iPhone do not sync over to my Address Book. This happens intermittently, but frequently. Consistently, I gradually build up a list of contacts that only exist on my iPhone and which simply will not sync to my Address Book. So far, every time I discover this, I waste time identifying the specific contacts that are not transferring, and I hand enter them into my computer's Address Book, and then delete them from the phone, and then sync to get them to go back on the phone.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.2), iPhone 3G

Posted on Dec 30, 2009 3:43 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 30, 2009 4:07 PM in response to conradhubbard

Try resetting the sync history on your Mac, which is done via iSync preferences with the iSync application located in your Applications folder.

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Answer 2

Dec 30, 2009 4:26 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Thanks for the suggestion, but I tried that twice. I researched this issue a bit before posting, and that was one of the suggestions I found. It did not help, however.

Message was edited by: conradhubbard

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Answer 3

Dec 30, 2009 6:23 PM in response to conradhubbard

What does your console log say? Are you getting reoccurring errors?

It could also be a corrupt Address Book database. Try exporting all your contacts. Now select all contacts and delete them. Now import all contacts back and test.

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Answer 4

Dec 30, 2009 6:37 PM in response to iphone3Gguy

Export them from the computer Address Book application?

Where do I find the console log?

Message was edited by: conradhubbard

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Answer 5

Dec 30, 2009 6:35 PM in response to iphone3Gguy

Okay, I tried this:
1. Backup Address Book data.
2. Delete all entries.
3. Shut down Address Book.
4. Restart Address Book.
5. Import the backup.
6. Shut down and restart Address Book.
7. Use iTunes to sync to my iPhone again.
8. Shut down and restart Address Book again.

Nope. Two of my contacts still did not transfer from my iPhone to my Address Book. Past history says that number will continue to grow over time.

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Answer 6

Dec 30, 2009 6:43 PM in response to conradhubbard

The address book database on your Mac may have some corruption.

Try the following.

With the Address Book quit, go to Home > Library > Application Support > AddressBook. Delete all contents within the AddressBook folder, but don't empty the Trash on your Mac in case you need to restore the contents back within the AddressBook folder.

Import the Address Book archive that was previously exported.

Test if this resolves it.

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Answer 7

Dec 30, 2009 6:56 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Okay, that failed too.
The two contacts I added to my iPhone since last time I manually added them to the Address Book, and deleted them on my iPhone, and sync'ed, are still not sync'ing.
I really think that if you Google this issue, and read some of the reports, it sounds like many other folks are having this issue but are either not describing it repeatedly until it is crystal clear or are giving up and resolving it manually.
It would be nice to see the issue resolved as the bug it appears to be.

Message was edited by: conradhubbard

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Answer 8

Dec 30, 2009 6:56 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Thanks Allan. Forgot to include the "Home > Library > Application Support > AddressBook. Delete all contents within the AddressBook folder"

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Answer 9

Dec 30, 2009 6:58 PM in response to iphone3Gguy

I deleted the contents of that folder, and that didn't help. This only seems to be affecting contacts that I added to the iPhone, not contacts that I added to the Address Book on my computer.

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Answer 10

Dec 30, 2009 7:02 PM in response to conradhubbard

My gut feeling is that this somehow involves the iPhone invisibly putting new contacts into a "group" that is not the same as the "All on my Mac" group, and then failing to import them. However, I am totally willing to keep trying to work through this with the advice that people give.

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Answer 11

Dec 30, 2009 7:10 PM in response to conradhubbard

OK. So do you have groups on the iPhone other than All Contacts? Could you be adding a new contact within one group and then when the iPhone syncs not checking the correct group in address book?

Have you tried restoring the iPhone?

If you click on the spotlight search and type console and click on the top hit. Do you see errors?

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Answer 12

Dec 30, 2009 7:17 PM in response to iphone3Gguy

I have "All Contacts" and then I have "From My Mac"/"All from My Mac"

I didn't create either of those. They naturally formed from my original sync.

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Answer 13

Dec 30, 2009 7:22 PM in response to iphone3Gguy

I have not tried restoring the iPhone *this time*, but last time I noticed this happening, I did restore it, and that did not help. The contacts added to my iPhone still did not appear in my Address Book.

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Answer 14

Dec 30, 2009 7:39 PM in response to conradhubbard

I have "All Contacts" and then I have "From My Mac"/"All from My Mac"

"All Contacts" is normal when syncing contacts direct with the Address Book via the iTunes sync process.

"From My Mac"/All from My Mac" is available when accessing a MobileMe account on an iPhone and syncing contacts over the air along with syncing contacts direct with the Address Book via the iTunes sync process, which is not necessary and will cause duplicate contacts on the iPhone.

Do you have a MobileMe account?

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Answer 15

Dec 30, 2009 7:42 PM in response to Allan Sampson

I do not have a MobileMe account, and I am not sync'ing anything "over the air". I am sync'ing using a directly attached cable, and using iTunes. It seems to me that iTunes is the default interface between an iPhone and a computer.

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