Contacts - where are they stored?

Not far from the truth with me - dead on is more like it having contacts, calendar events, notes, reminders, and documents/data kept synchronized between my business iPhone 5, personal iPhone 4S and iPad 2, my personal Mac, and with my Windows PC and Outlook at the office done with my free Apple iCloud account.

Read the 2nd and last paragraphs with my previous post again.

The iPhone's backup is set to be stored on your computer's hard drive automatically with iTunes. As already provided, the iPhone's backup is updated automatically as the first step during the iTunes sync process. There is a folder to open on your computer's hard drive for your iPhone's backup, but it won't do you much good to open since the backup data is in a SQLite database format that includes much more data than just contacts. Or as already provifed, you can select to have your iPhone's backup done wirelessly and automatically with a free iCloud account that doesn't require a computer.

You are syncing contacts over the air with your Gmail account or accounts, so you don't need to be concerned with the contacts being included with your iPhone's backup. The contacts stored online with your Gmail account is your backup, and you should also be able to sync your Gmail online contacts with a supported address book app on your computer.

Allan, that is exactly my point. I do not use Outlook or "a supported address book" on my computer. I do not need one with gMail. I don't even need a computer based Outlook program as i can (and always do) access it from the OWA on a browser, for a third actually company email. But I don't store contact info there, because it's cross platform functionality is so poor, also backup is not snyc.

However, it appears as though Outlook or a supported address book progam are absolutely necessary with Apple products, thus I will have to get one. 😟

Sorry, but your reading comprehension needs a lot of work.

You don't need Outlook, or any supported address book app on your computer and it is not "absolutely" necessary with Apple products.

Once again, since you are syncing contacts over the air with your Gmail account or accounts, your contacts are stored online with Google severs. You don't need to be concerned about your iPhone's backup in regards to your contacts, and you are not required to use Outlook or any supported address book app on your computer. I still use a computer to send email so I want my contacts available on my computer. My contacts are available on my Mac and included with my Mac's backup along with all other important data, and my contacts are synced over the air with my iCloud account, and they are included with my iPhone's backup.

iCloud contact syncing is for your iCloud account contacts only.

iCloud account contacts cannot be synced with Gmail contacts and vice-versa. Why do you want your Gmail account contacts synced with your iCloud account when they are already being synced with your Gmail account?

You can't sync iCloud account contacts with a Gmail account on an Android device either.

Because I am wrongly going under the impression that I MUST use iCloud to sync data from my phone.

I just did a test. I edited a contact in my iPhone & saved it. I went over to my Gmail contact list from a web browser, and it synced instantly.

I'm reversing this... editing a contact from the browser, now waiting for a result on my iPhone..... and there it is. Good!

So, here is the issue I was worried about. I just added a new contact on my iPhone. Sure enough it popped up in my iCloud contacts, but not in Gmail.

Previously, with Tmobile, they loaded MobileLife... always syncing my contacts to their server, whatever no big deal. But I had an option on where I wanted to creat my new contact; 1) MobileLife, 2) "my personal gmail account" or 3) "my work gmail account".

This option will not exist will it? All new contacts created on the iPhone will go into the iCloud and I will have to migrate them over? Hence I will start populating a contact list on iCloud that I have no need for. Does that answer your question why?

on my iPhone it appears there is no reason in Settings->iCloud to turn on contacts for sync. Without it on, (and not going to iCloud contacts) will it send it to gmail maybe?

I was answering Allan above, but as to your question Rocky.... I have no desire to move away from Gmail. I'm just trying to get it to work the best with iPhone.

Calendar & multiple timezone events will be my next battle. 😟

Because I am wrongly going under the impression that I MUST use iCloud to sync data from my phone.

Yes you are, so there is no need to do so. You can turn Contacts off for over the air syncing with your iCloud account settings on your iPhone and use your iCloud account for updating your iPhone's backup wirelessly. To use your iCloud account for your iPhone's backup, this is selected under the Summary tab for your iPhone sync preferences with iTunes on your computer followed by selecting Apply.

This option will not exist will it? All new contacts created on the iPhone will go into the iCloud and I will have to migrate them over? Hence I will start populating a contact list on iCloud that I have no need for.

Wrong again.

On your iPhone go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Contacts > Default Account > Select your Gmail account.

Does that answer your question why?

Not hardly since you just created your iCloud account on your iPhone, and you have indicated several times now this was not required since you are already syncing your contacts over the air with your Gmail account or accounts. iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail all support syncing contacts over the air which are completely separate from one another.

Allan,

I have turned off contacts in iCloud.... and amazing it is syncing back n forth with my gmail contacts! yahoo!

However, with your second point, the only options that exist in Contacts are "sort order", "display order" and "my info". There is no "default account" option.

Point 3, I have hardly indicated I know this already, I have no knowledge whatsoever about any Apple products. All the basic literature out there about this phone says, and I paraphrase, "do this, do that, all will be fine." So reading through this and understanding, contrary to what it says, that it is not needed, is not so simple.

However, with your second point, the only options that exist in Contacts are "sort order", "display order" and "my info". There is no "default account" option.

No available since you have turned Contacts off for over the air syncing with your iCloud account settings on your iPhone. Not possible to use your iCloud account to be the default account when creating a contact if you have Contacts turned off for over the air syncing with your iCloud account, so the option to select a default account is not available.

So reading through this and understanding, contrary to what it says, that it is not needed, is not so simple.

You sure made some bold incorrect statements inlcuding some incorrect absolutes previously for someone now claiming to have hardly indicated you know this already.

Right, just like Apple never makes any statements that they know everything and all should just follow along. Anywho.

Setting up second gmail contacts account as above... denied

Keeps saying "Cannot Connect Using SSL. Do you want to try setting up the account without SSL?"

Obviously not, as per above msg. Even going in and manually setting to SSL On and Port 443. Still denied.

hmmm

HansWorldTravels wrote:

Setting up second gmail contacts account as above... denied

Keeps saying "Cannot Connect Using SSL. Do you want to try setting up the account without SSL?"

Keep trying, and re-check your entries. Just for kicks I added a 3rd GMail account's contacts as a CardDAV account and had no problem.

As you've (hopefully) discovered, when you have multiple choices for things then and only then do you see the option to designate a default account. But with only one choice (i.e. GMail as your only contacts, iCloud contacts OFF) then there is no such option.

The same will appy to your Notes and Calendar services, so if you enabled these in iCloud and in your (standard iOS) GMail account, you'll have a choice to designate which account to use as the default for these services.

As a former Android user, I can say with certainty that there are plenty of options in that world which are poorly documented and often confusing, and although iOS is not always crystal clear it is miles ahead of Android in terms of logic, function, and stability.

Good luck!

Thanks Rockmyplimsoul!

It did finally take! Think I will just stay away from iCloud all together... I don't see any purpose in using it for contacts, calendar, notes, etc. Maybe documents later on, but no need now. I wish contacts could be grouped... but I can just do that in gmail as needed for historical or as need based.

As well as the Google Apps app, it doesn't gain me anything.

With iCal I've read a lot that it is not good with multiple timezone events, i.e., flight departing at 4pm MST, arriving 9pm EST, but only 3 hour duration. And a need for "floating events" &/or TZS issues. Maybe this won't matter if I continue to just do this through gCal and it will sync to my iPhone without issue. Any quick take on this?

Although I do prefer Google Maps, as it works seemlessly with me adding addresses & gps coords into my calendar events for work, Apple Support pages say defaulting to Google Maps is not possible. My first couple tests of letting iMaps find the location, went so so. Hmm, testing now, addresses work, gps coords don't carry over though. oh well.. maybe there's a fix, as gps I use a lot for foreign travels.

Again, thanks!

Sorry, hopefully one final question.

Any suggestions of an app to "backup" SMS/iMessages & why not, Whatsapp messages to gmail like SMS Backup did on Android? Doesn't matter if free, just want it functional. I see this asked in Apple Support, but the first answer was "backup in iCloud & iTunes". Not very helpful, especially as they are only archieved there, and you can't access/read unless you restore them to your phone or export to a text or word doc.....definitely not the same.

Thanks!

I use PhoneView (Mac) but TouchCopy (Mac and Windows) is also often recommended. Both allow you to archive your messages in text or PDF files.

iCloud is where you would backup your messages for later restoration to your phone.