TL; DR
- The latest update to Google Play Services is changing how contacts sync on Android.
- Turning off contacts sync removes previously synced contacts from your Android phone.
The latest installment of the May 2023 Google Play System Update includes a major overhaul of how Contact Sync works on Android so far:
[Phone] Turning off syncing with Google Contacts will now remove previously synced contacts from your Android phone.
This change is rolling out to all Android devices via Google Play Services v23.20.
What’s changing with Contact Sync on Android?
When you sign in to a Google Account on any Android device, one of the first things Google syncs is your contact list.
As mentioned, the process was pretty seamless, and it’s one of the first things Android has got as an OS. As long as you add new contacts to your Google Account (and not your phone or SIM storage), they’ll be available on all devices you sign in to in the future.
However, if you accidentally turn off Google contact sync on your Android phone, nothing will happen to the contacts displayed on the phone. Contacts that have already been synced will continue to appear on your phone, although any changes you make will remain on the device and will not be synced.
The only way to remove the contacts synced to the phone is to remove the Google account from the phone. If there is only one Google account on the phone, it cannot be removed, and by extension, the contact list cannot be removed either.
With the latest Google Play Services update, turning off contact sync will remove the contacts from that device. You no longer need to remove the Google account to remove these contacts.
Why is this a big change?
For technically savvy users, this may not be a big change. But for the average Android user who doesn’t know how to think about contact syncing, accidentally turning off contact syncing can cause them to “lose” their entire contact list. They may be left scratching their heads as to what is going on and why their contacts suddenly disappeared from their phone.
It’s also not immediately clear what happens if contact sync errors occur, as sometimes happens with weak connections and VPNs. Hopefully, contacts won’t be lost when syncing fails.
What to do if your contacts are missing from your Android device?
If your contacts are missing from your Android phone, you first need to make sure they are found at contacts.google.com. If you are there, it’s just a matter of toggling contact sync on your Android phone.
go to Settings > Passwords and AccountsSelect your Google account and make sure the switch is on Contacts And it shows the latest date.
Amir Siddiqui / Android Authority
What do you think about this change? Let us know in the comments below!