Smart Groups in Contacts to the iPhone, are we EVER going to get that?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Smart Groups in Contacts to the iPhone, are we EVER going to get that?

I know this isn't the first time this has been mentioned, and I may have even mentioned it myself...

It has been YEARS, and we still don't have the ability to sync smart groups in Contacts to the iPhone. Why does Apple continue to ignore such fundamental functionality, yet focuses on things like taking color out of iTunes or changing the color in the calendar? These are things that I would expect in non-Apple applications. I just don't understand how Apple is hugely missing the mark on some of these things. Who is in charge, and why are they getting paid?

Does anybody else agree?

IMac 2.4ghz Intel Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.6.4), iOS 4.1

Posted on Sep 12, 2010 8:46 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 12, 2010 9:04 AM in response to berneck

I don't see why anybody would use a "smart" list for anything. It is a constantly modified list of things that can add or remove content at whim depending on your criteria to sort the data.

I don't know about you but the fact that the "smart" list can add/remove content to a group that I have a specific set of data in, doesn't seem like a viable feature for a device that is state of the art.

I do not sync smart playlists from iTunes nor would ever sync any smart list/group.

Also, you are not addressing Apple here. You may want to submit feedback to http://www.apple.com/feedback to let apple know of your concerns.

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Answer 2

tplSF

Level 1

37 points

Sep 13, 2010 9:36 AM in response to berneck

I too am astonished by this rather basic omission, especially having migrated from the Palm. For example, my bluetooth is integrated into my car. Since there's no way to group contacts, my entire contacts list is downloaded each time I turn the car on. I use steering wheel controls to initiate calls, which means scrolling through the entire list (it is quite long) until I find the person I am calling. The only way to defeat this is to delete all but my most-used contacts, and store them somewhere else on the phone. Seems pretty unnecessary.

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Answer 3

Dave Hutch

Level 4

1,497 points

Sep 13, 2010 10:41 AM in response to berneck

What sort of Smart Contact Group are you using?
Apple won't provide every single function you can think of, that's where there are apps out there.

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Answer 4

tplSF

Level 1

37 points

Sep 13, 2010 12:00 PM in response to Dave Hutch

Hi Dave Hutch,

Is there an app you would recommend for selectively hiding contacts (see my post above)?

Thanks.

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Answer 5

Dave Hutch

Level 4

1,497 points

Sep 13, 2010 1:32 PM in response to tplSF

I would guess that depends on the functionality of your car bluetooth system.
I would think about using the voice dial feature instead

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Answer 6

-REZ-

Level 1

0 points

Aug 16, 2011 7:59 AM in response to berneck

There is a work around, here

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1024505?answerId=4902780022#4902780022

Basically, use Smart Groups on your Mac to create dynamic subsets of your contacts. Copy all of the contacts in that group (command-A) to a [regular / static / dumb] group. You can rename that group to whatever you want (including the same name as the smart group). A bit of a pain, but if the contacts in your smart group don't change that much, you shouldn't have to update your [regular / statis/ dumb] group very often... such as for my "family" group.

Also, you can then "prune" the [regular / static / dumb] group of contacts that your smart group rules included, but shouldn't be in the group, when you update it. I do this monthly for my "travel" group.

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Answer 7

DeepRoot

Level 1

8 points

May 26, 2014 7:39 AM in response to berneck

This is just one of numerous qualms I have with Apple's software. With all the talk of iCloud and syncronization it's dumbfounding that this issue hasn't been corrected. Including Birthdays in Calendar but not Anniversaries really gets me. I can't sync my iBooks. I can't sync my iTunes U courses. I can't adequately use more than one Apple id on my Mac for the store sync. etc, etc. How about the Amazon Fire. It allows you to easily log on with a different log on id and shows the appropriate stuff for that id. Try doing that with an iPad. I could go on and on. It's amazing how brilliant Apple can be and yet on the other hand demonstrate such stupidity!

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Answer 8

AxeBox360

Level 1

116 points

Aug 15, 2014 5:55 PM in response to DeepRoot

You were doing good until you brought up the Amazon Fire, a device designed to make you spend more money and completely outclassed by the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy.

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Answer 9

Aug 15, 2014 5:59 PM in response to AxeBox360

Yep, the fire's sole purpose is to have you buy stuff from Amazon and track everything you do so they can feed you ads about stuff to buy on Amazon.

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Answer 10

isaac103

Level 1

0 points

Dec 21, 2015 2:36 PM in response to -REZ-

Amazing this is still the best workaround in town... how hard could it be to sync smart groups? All they need to do is sync the filter criteria, and let the rest of icloud sync the actual contacts. I use a hashtag system to organize my contacts, so smart lists are perfect. But not being able to sync these groups across devices really kills the productivity.

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