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How do I sync Google Contacts groups to iPhone

I have all my Google contacts in different Groups. I would like to have those same Google contacts groups synced to iPhone Contacts app. I followed instructions to sync iPhone Contacts with my Google account. All my Google contacts did sync to iPhone but there were no iPhone contact groups created. So I have one huge list of contacts. How do I sync the Google contacts groups? Thank you

iPhone 6, iOS 8.1.2

Posted on Jan 22, 2015 2:29 PM

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17 replies

Jan 22, 2015 4:27 PM in response to ManSinha

Hi - from the"iPhone 6 User Guide for iOS 8.1",I followed the following steps:


Use your Google contacts: Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, tap your Google account,

then turn on Contacts.


So I entered Gmail and password. Then withing Contacts app I pressed the Sync link. Afterwards I've got all contacts in one big list, just not categorized by Google groups.

Apr 22, 2017 3:26 PM in response to rstrilo

I had an issue with a Google contact that was not appearing on my iPhone while I was seeing the same contact in the Google contact web page on my computer. I had to click a button on the web page to add the contact to my contacts. I don't understand why because this contact was listed in my contacts just like the other contacts. A few minutes after the contact was synchronized with my iPhone.

May 16, 2017 2:50 PM in response to rstrilo

Hi!


This is an old thread, but if someone is still looking for a work-around...


1. Select a Google Group you want to have appear in Apple Contacts

2. Click to edit the title of the Google Group

3. Select and copy the entire title

4. Exit the title-editing mode

5. Open the first contact of the same Google Group

6. Click to edit

7. Find the Notes Section and paste the title of the Google Group, there.

8. Do the same paste into the Notes Section of every member of the Group

9. Go to Apple Contacts.

10. Under File, select "Create Smart Group"

11. Paste the Google Group title, here, as the title of your new Smart Group

12. Paste again, in the empty blank beside the options Card contains ___________________.

13. Click OK and your new Apple Smart Group should populate to reflect your Google Group.


As long as you consistently update every change in Google Contact notes, your Apple Smart Groups will always stay up-to-date. In the future, you can also compare the number of contacts in a given Google Group and it's parallel Smart Group to be sure you have the same number in both. Google Groups gives you a total number per group. Smart Groups don't, but by Selecting All contacts in a Smart Group, Apple Contacts will also give you a total number.


This is a bit tedious, but it works. I print envelopes from Apple Contacts Smart Groups. I have never learned to use Word Mail Merge, but this works for me.

Aug 2, 2015 2:38 AM in response to rstrilo

Hey!


I found a solution 🙂 Since iphone sync all your contacts from "my contacts" group on google contacts you can do the following. You can choose what to sync, for example I have created several groups in gcontacts, some with numbers some with mails etc. You need to go to the groups you DON'T want to sync and select all and then in drop down menu of groups uncheck "my contacts" group. After you've done this you'll be left with groups you would like to sync with iphone but will still have the other contacts in gmail app on iphone.

Sep 22, 2015 1:29 PM in response to dannyvolt

I would add to Danny's post that if you want to get contacts that you have removed from Google's "My Contacts" immediately removed from the iOS devices, go to the Gmail account in iOS' Settings and turn off Contacts. You will get a message that it will remove the contacts from the iPhone/iPad, which you should allow. Then turn Contacts synchronization back on and it will have only the contacts currently in Goggle's "My Contacts". Perhaps if you wait, iOS would remove the contacts no longer in Google's "My Contacts". However I tried restarting my iPhone to force resynchronization and they were still there.


I am still trying to see how to get the contacts removed from OS X, as this procedure doesn't work there. Has anyone figured this out?

Jun 29, 2016 9:56 PM in response to rstrilo

Hello,


I've passed from one year ago from Android to iOS and I use contact sync instead of gmail synchronisation for contact.


My need are to synchronize only contacts which are in the groups "my contacts" and those contacts could also belongs to another groups which is interesting for me and with this app, I see in each contact, if this one belongs also to another group.


However, to assign a group to a new contact (which is in my contacts group), I've 2 solutions :

- do it by gmail, and it will be repercuted in iphone with contact sync.

- use iOS app which is called A2Z Contacts which can permit to create a group / assign an existing contact to a group and after you validate with contact sync to sync those modifications.


But for my need, I don't want to synchronize contacts which are not in "my contact" group, so it's perfect.


Thanks.

May 16, 2017 3:03 PM in response to rstrilo

This is an old thread, but if someone is still looking for a work-around...


1. Copy and paste the Google Group title into the "Notes" section of every contact in the Google Group.

2. In Apple Contacts, under "File", click to create a new Smart Group.

3. Paste the Google Group title into both the "Smart Group Name" section and the "Card contains..." section.

4. Click OK and your new Apple Smart Group should populate to reflect your Google Group.


As long as you consistently update every change or addition to Google Contact "Notes", your Apple Smart Groups will always stay up-to-date.


In the future, you can also compare the number of contacts in a given Google Group with it's parallel Smart Group to be sure you have the same number of contacts in each. Google Groups gives you this total; Smart Groups doesn't, but by selecting all contacts in a Smart Group, Apple Contacts will also give you a total.


This is a bit tedious, but it works. I print envelopes from Apple Contacts Smart Groups. I have never learned to use Word Mail Merge, but this works for me.

Dec 21, 2017 12:09 PM in response to Abe770

Hello Abe770,


I finally discovered what was the problem. I was missing a contact on my iPhone and I realized that for this contact on the web a button 'Save contact' was available. So I clicked it and then I was able to have the contact on my phone. This is a very curious problem. Why do I have a 'Save contact' button for a contact already listed? I don't understand but the issue is gone anyway.

How do I sync Google Contacts groups to iPhone

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