The question about Google Contacts sync problem: I renamed an entry on my Android device but it didn’t change the name. The old person’s name is also displayed in Viber and WhatsApp. Internet connected, sync is on. Any errors on the screen. Please, help me to understand what’s the reason of this weird issue and how do I fix it? Thank you in advance.
There can be several issues related to contacts synchronization across all your Android devices. As a result contacts might not sync at all or a specific entry might not update after renaming or editing information.
Sync Issue #1: You changed a contact’s information (renamed) on one Android device but it doesn’t change on another device.
Possible cause: you are likely to have a synchronization fail on at least one device.
The solution:
- Turn on the Internet (mobile data or Wi-Fi) on all your Android devices where you wish contacts to sync.
- Turn on the “Sync” toggle:
- Ensure that Contacts synchronization is enabled in settings on all devices.
Go to “Settings” > “Accounts” > “Google” > Tap on your email address > set the checkbox “Sync Contacts”:
- Wait for 5 minutes and check the result.
Sync Issue #2: The contact’s name (or another information field) remains the same on current Android device but it changed on another device.
Possible reason: probably, you faced a glitch of a system app called “Contact Storage”.
The solution: First of all check contacts.google.com. If you see that the information is correct and updated there (for example, correct name is displayed after you renamed an entry), follow these steps on your Android device:
- Go to “Settings” > “Apps”.
- Switch to “All” by a swipe.
- Find “Contact storage” and tap on it:
- Tap “Clear Data” in the “App info” screen:
- Confirm clearing data by tapping “OK”.
- Turn on Internet (Wi-fi or Mobile Data).
- Open the “Contacts” app:
- Wait for about a minute. All your contacts should sync correctly to your Google Account – all entries should have actual names and other information.
Please, share your experience in the comments. Maybe, you will add more interesting issues and working solutions to the article.
Great solution!
I updated my contacts info in my browser because it was much easier than typing all the info on the phone. Almost all of the information was updated automatically, but there were still missing details. But this solution worked for me! Now everything is updated!
Thanks for the solution. I was facing similar problem of contact display . Previous contact name was appearing even after editing name in contact list.
Thank you for your solution, re-sync google account really does helpful.
Does it mean Renaming a contact without sync feature switched on (whatever reason) is not possible?
Thank you. Solution # 1 worked like a charm!