Phone app showing old contacts instead of CardDav ones

qweoig

Hello,

I recently switched to CardDav for my contacts. The 'Contacts' app correctly shows the contacts from my CardDav server, but the Phone app still displays my old contact list.

I suspect those older contacts are stored locally on the device.
When I go to Settings → Apps → Contact Storage, it shows only one option: Device only (with a radio button I can’t deselect). There’s also no option to delete or clear the device contacts.

How can I remove the contacts stored on the device so the Phone app uses the CardDav ones instead? Alternatively, if contacts must be saved on the device, how can I update or sync that list with the ones currently shown in the Contacts app?

Thanks!

n3t_admin

qweoig are you using a different phone/dialer app by any chance?

qweoig

Hi n3t_admin, thanks for replying.

No, I'm using the 'Telephone' app that came with GOS.
I don't know it is important, but it showes as 'Phone' in the Settings → App.

n3t_admin

qweoig yes, that's correct.
How is your CardDAV set up, with DAVx5? Can you see your CardDAV contacts in all other apps except the phone app? The phone app should usually show all contacts, so you might try to clear cache (or even clear storage) of the phone app to see if this unbugs it.

qweoig

n3t_admin Yes, I'm using DAVx5. Messaging (for SMS) is also displaying old contacts. I cleared cache for both apps and it didn't help. I don't want to clear storage, as I don't want to lose call history (hope it makes sense). I tried to temporarly remove 'Contact' permission for both apps, but this didn't help too.
I don't know too much about architecture of GOS, but I suspect these contacts may be saved on the device? Settings → App → Contacts storage suggests this, but I can't find any option to change or manage it.

n3t_admin

qweoig yes, contact storage is the app you're looking for. Clearing storage of that will delete all contacts on device. Be sure to disable DAVx5 sync before doing that though, since I'm not sure if the changes would get synced back to the server.

Followup question: so you're saying the DAV contacts are showing in the contacts app only? All apps are on the same profile, correct?

If you create a new contact from the contacts app with the server as the destination, does it sync over the changes?

qweoig

ok, but I don't have any option for the 'Contact storage' app. It is not on the '> See all apps' list, it's in 'General' under 'Recently opened apps', and when I tap it this is what I see https://ibb.co/WN4DBDxv - so I can't clear its storage.

Yes, DAV contacts are showing in the Contacts app only, all apps are on the same profile...

Scrap that, I found the reason.

n3t_admin

qweoig let me guess: was syncing disabled in settings under accounts? 😄

qweoig

Thank you @n3t_admin for your time, I really appreciate it.

qweoig

n3t_admin It was showing my DAV contacts + my Signal contacts.
I didn't realise that many of my contacts use Signal.

n3t_admin

qweoig oh, even better. Glad you got it sorted out!

qweoig

I don't want to disable 'contacts' permission for Signal, as it is useful feature for merging details of contacts from the contact list. It would be cool though if I could hide those Signal contacts that I don't have on my contact list - like it is possible in the 'Contacts' app.

n3t_admin

qweoig I think you can disable contact sync of Signal as I mentioned in the settings -> accounts. This will (or should) not display them in the system anymore.

qweoig

Ha, I switched off the sync, cleared phone app cache, but the contacts are still there.
Not sure whta else I can try, but at least I know where from they are...
Again, thank you for your help @n3t_admin

n3t_admin

qweoig maybe you will have to poke around in the Signal settings a bit, there could be one that hides Signal contacts from the system. I can't test myself sadly, as I don't have an Android phone running Signal anymore.

qweoig

Signal doesn't seem to have any setting for this. I think it asked while being installed about adding Signal contacts to the contacts list. It seems like a bug though that even despite having 'sync off' in the Settings -> Accounts -> Signal, Signal's contacts are still showing up in Phone and Messaging apps. I wonder if they are saved on the device somehow and if there is any possibility to manage them.