Talk to me like an idiot: iCloud, Google, Contacts

[WillyChip]

Help please!

pI have an iPhone and iPad which I have upgradedto iOS 5 and am rather excited by this cloubd stuff. What I really want ois to turn my gmail off in my iPhone and have @me.com email address as mail address. Worry is that all my contacts are feeding through from Gmail and I want to make sure that they are correct and in iCloud before I turn off Gmail.

Does this make sense? Can you help?

 

[Azzin]

Precisely what h00ligan wrote! In settings, you must designated which account new contacts (or calendar events) are assigned to, and new contacts/calendar events will ONLY be assigned to that account. In other words, if you bump into an acquaintance and add their information to your iPhone, that information will be stored locally, in Gmail, or in iCloud, depending on the designation you set up. Once it's stored, you'd have to manually input that information to any additional desired location. In that sense, there is no true sync between iCloud and Gmail's cloud service.

But as I have my Google account set up as an Exchange account, if I add a contact using my iPhone it's immediately visible on my iPad and also when I log in to webmail.

What more does iCloud do over that?

 

[SFC Archer]

To import your "Gmail Contacts" to iCloud
Go to your Gmail account and select Contacts
Find the more button and select Export
Select vCard format...the bottom one for iOS devices and save to your desktop
Open up http://www.icloud.com and log in
Select the Contacts icon
Drag and drop the vCard file into iCloud Contacts folder
Now start creating your groups

Hope this helps some of you get stuff ported over to iCloud...Good Luck

 

[VydorScope]

But as I have my Google account set up as an Exchange account, if I add a contact using my iPhone it's immediately visible on my iPad and also when I log in to webmail.

What more does iCloud do over that?

Basically nothing, from what I see, unless you use OTHER programs for your address book, for example "Address Book" on the Mac. But if you live in Google mail for your contacts, then you already have gCloud so to speak.

 

[h00ligan]

Precisely what h00ligan wrote! In settings, you must designated which account new contacts (or calendar events) are assigned to, and new contacts/calendar events will ONLY be assigned to that account. In other words, if you bump into an acquaintance and add their information to your iPhone, that information will be stored locally, in Gmail, or in iCloud, depending on the designation you set up. Once it's stored, you'd have to manually input that information to any additional desired location. In that sense, there is no true sync between iCloud and Gmail's cloud service.

Actually for contacts that's not true. It's added to whichever group you are in except if you are in all contacts it goes to iCloud. Even if you have that setting set to gmail!

What I did was mail myself my own contact card. Turned on contacts for iCloud. Went into the iCloud group. Opened the contact from email and added it.

Then I went back into contacts group and navigated to gmail contacts where I will stay.

This allows me to define relationships but use gmail. I believe if you always stay in the gmail group any contact added or imported will wind up on gmail.

 

[verwon]

I personally switched my contacts and calendars over to iCloud last night. It took a couple of hours, but I'm loving it! I still use my gmail, I just disabled syncing of the calendars and contacts. I like iCloud better because it works seamlessly with all of my iOS devices. I have it working perfectly between my iPhone 4, iPad, and MacBook Pro. I could never get the 3-way Google Sync to work quite right. It's perfect with iCloud. If you are pretty much exclusively using Apple products, I would switch over to iCloud.

That's what I did. It takes a little time, but is well worth it.

 

[Azzin]

To import your "Gmail Contacts" to iCloud
Go to your Gmail account and select Contacts
Find the more button and select Export
Select vCard format...the bottom one for iOS devices and save to your desktop
Open up http://www.icloud.com and log in
Select the Contacts icon
Drag and drop the vCard file into iCloud Contacts folder
Now start creating your groups

Hope this helps some of you get stuff ported over to iCloud...Good Luck

Hmm-I can't get this to work, where exactly do I drag it to?

 

[greytmom]

Hmm-I can't get this to work, where exactly do I drag it to?

I dropped it just on top of the contacts screen. It started loading immediately (green status bar on the bottom). Took a long time though - I have about 2800 contacts.

 

[darthastuart]

Original Idiot Here...

Thanks for all the replies; I remain slightly confused but that's a pretty natural state for me so I'm rolling with it.

I still don't see where in Settings I would switch on or off the syncing of contacts to Google. I have my gmail account set up in Mail as my primary e-mail account. Does it happen automagically through that? It's not an Exchange account; it's just clicking the GMail logo when I first set up the phone and setting that up.

That's my primary point of confusion, and that seems really unclear to me. I don't necessarily want iCloud to sync with Google; I want to know if my phone is somehow by default syncing with both, even though the Settings don't specifically indicate such.

One other wrinkle, and maybe this will help someone, I dunno: my initial iCloud interaction was between my iPad on iOS 5 and iCloud. Prior to iOS 5, I had my iPad Contacts app syncing with my Google contacts. So when iCloud went to grab my contacts, I assume it just pulled in whatever was already in the Contacts app. That might be a fast way to pull all the Google contacts into iCloud if anyone so desires.

For what it's worth, I have had it synced with iCloud since I got my new phone. It pulled in those contacts from my iPad and I haven't really looked back. So at this point it's more curiosity than anything else. I find iCloud so far to be pretty seamless and cool, although again, I wish it was more specific on the device side about what you're syncing to, and when. I also haven't really ventured into untangling the mess I have with my various Calendars (Outlook for work, which was syncing to a Google calendar, which was syncing to my iPad calendar)...so that will be FUN.

 

[protobiont]

I dropped it just on top of the contacts screen. It started loading immediately (green status bar on the bottom). Took a long time though - I have about 2800 contacts.

This isn't working for me on a windows 7 machine.

Can't seem to find any other way to import either.

 

[h00ligan]

Thanks for all the replies; I remain slightly confused but that's a pretty natural state for me so I'm rolling with it.

I still don't see where in Settings I would switch on or off the syncing of contacts to Google. I have my gmail account set up in Mail as my primary e-mail account. Does it happen automagically through that? It's not an Exchange account; it's just clicking the GMail logo when I first set up the phone and setting that up.

That's my primary point of confusion, and that seems really unclear to me. I don't necessarily want iCloud to sync with Google; I want to know if my phone is somehow by default syncing with both, even though the Settings don't specifically indicate such.

One other wrinkle, and maybe this will help someone, I dunno: my initial iCloud interaction was between my iPad on iOS 5 and iCloud. Prior to iOS 5, I had my iPad Contacts app syncing with my Google contacts. So when iCloud went to grab my contacts, I assume it just pulled in whatever was already in the Contacts app. That might be a fast way to pull all the Google contacts into iCloud if anyone so desires.

For what it's worth, I have had it synced with iCloud since I got my new phone. It pulled in those contacts from my iPad and I haven't really looked back. So at this point it's more curiosity than anything else. I find iCloud so far to be pretty seamless and cool, although again, I wish it was more specific on the device side about what you're syncing to, and when. I also haven't really ventured into untangling the mess I have with my various Calendars (Outlook for work, which was syncing to a Google calendar, which was syncing to my iPad calendar)...so that will be FUN.

Set the default calendar to google.

Go into your contacts
Go back to all groups
Select contacts on gmail

That keeps you syncing with google. If you go back to all contacts new contacts will be placed on iCloud.

 

[h00ligan]

I don't see a way to add a designate for calendars on iCloud. Anyone ?

 

[protobiont]

This isn't working for me on a windows 7 machine.

Can't seem to find any other way to import either.

Got it. If you have any existing contacts it won't work.

 

[Tilpots]

so how does this all work with Address Book on my Mac. Guess that's where I'm an idiot, too. I synced my contacts with iCloud and had two of everybody. As much as I want an iCloud backup, I want Address Book to the definitive list. Will my iP4 continue to sync with Address Book during a WiFi sync?

 

[TLewis]

so how does this all work with Address Book on my Mac. Guess that's where I'm an idiot, too. I synced my contacts with iCloud and had two of everybody. As much as I want an iCloud backup, I want Address Book to the definitive list. Will my iP4 continue to sync with Address Book during a WiFi sync?

The way it works is that iCloud becomes the "definitive" list. Address Book synchronizes to iCloud and vice-versa: any changes in iCloud gets put into Address Book, and any changes put into Address Book gets put into iCloud.

The "magic" occurs when you have other iOS devices, macs, or PCs. For example, when you change something in Address Book, that change gets put into iCloud, and then everything else (like your iP4) synchronizes with iCloud, automagically getting the change that you originally put into Address Book. The beauty of all this is that you don't have to do anything like a wi-fi sync; everything automagically occurs as needed as long as you have a 3G or wi-fi connection.

Want to see it happen (assuming that you are using iCloud contacts)? Do this:

• Open up Contacts in your iP4, and view your iCloud contacts, at the very beginning of the list. With the contacts displayed, put down the iP4.
• In Address Book (on your mac), add and save an iCloud contact named "Aaaa Aaaa" (or anything else that will be sorted to appear at the beginning of your contacts).
• Within a moment or so (maybe a minute?), that contact will automagically appear in the iP4, without you even touching the iP4 (well, you might have to tap the display if you have a short sleep timeout).

 

[Tilpots]

The way it works is...

Beautiful explanation and thanks for it. I really appreciate it. I did some digging after I posted and found my problem is I'm on Snow Leopard, not Lion. Seems that's when the "magic" happens. Not too figure out what of my programs are Lion compatible and which aren't I guess. My Mini is my HTPC machine so everything on it's currently running smooth as butter. Do I really want to risk that and spend the money for Address Book? Got some thinking to do, I suppose.

 

[whsbuss]

To import your "Gmail Contacts" to iCloud
Go to your Gmail account and select Contacts
Find the more button and select Export
Select vCard format...the bottom one for iOS devices and save to your desktop
Open up http://www.icloud.com and log in
Select the Contacts icon
Drag and drop the vCard file into iCloud Contacts folder
Now start creating your groups

Hope this helps some of you get stuff ported over to iCloud...Good Luck

Like someone stated this does not work in Windows 7. I tried Chrome and IE9 logged into http://www.icloud.com - maybe you could give us more details how you get this to work.

 

[TLewis]

Like someone stated this does not work in Windows 7. I tried Chrome and IE9 logged into www.icloud.com - maybe you could give us more details how you get this to work.

Someone metioned that this only works on a empty group. In icloud, in your web browser:

• Create a new contacts group.
• Double-click on the new group, so that the groups get displayed on the left, and an empty group is on the right.
• Drag-and-drop the contacts file onto the empty group pane (right-hand side) in your browser. I don't know what file formats are supported, though.
• You can then click-and-drag the imported contacts to other groups.

 

[SFC Archer]

Like someone stated this does not work in Windows 7. I tried Chrome and IE9 logged into http://www.icloud.com - maybe you could give us more details how you get this to work.

I am on Windows 7 Professional and it worked just as I set up and described. I cannot get any more clear on how to do it. All of my contacts are now sitting nice and pretty in the cloud and my original contact list still resides ni Gmail.