[solved] android - contacts problem

[Dan-cer]

Even if your problem has nothing to do with Linux Mint (unless for sync with LM): Please use the search function (Startpage for example), with the term "contacts app on android doesn't open".

[dave0808]

Is the app the latest version?

Have you tried another Contacts app? For example the one from Simple Mobile Tools has no additional permissions beyond what it actually needs, so you could try it without having all your contact details sucked dry.

[Dan-cer]

[I had inserted an answer to another thread here in spanish, so I deleted it]

[dave0808]

nope. not the latest android. i've never upgraded android, don't want to, as the newer versions are worse and it could possibly make my inoperable (just day to day linux life)

I was asking if the app is the latest version, rather than Android itself. I can see that you don't use the latest Android.

The app may have had a problem that has been fixed in a later release. I'm just guessing of course.

but doesn't me saying "you try to open it and it automatically closes" always mean a certain problem?

Well it certainly indicates that there is a problem, it's just not possible to guess where the problem exists. That is why I suggested that you try another app, in order to help. This is what I would try.

i don't speak spanish

That was posted in error by another user and had nothing to do with this topic, so don't worry about it.

[dave0808]

but.....one teeny tiny problem, i don't see it !

on the android smartphone - google play store - i looked for "contacts" program under all 3 tabs - updates/installed/library

I only asked if there was an update available, as I don't know which version (of the app) that you are using.

However if the Play Store isn't showing you an update, and assuming that you're connected to the internet, signed in, etc, then you are likely running the latest version available for your device.

again. i'm doing the simplest thing in the world - i'm trying to open my contacts app (which i believe is google contacts app, when i open it and it crashes, i see the google for a split second)
...
i will say this. when i fire up the "phone app", i can scroll to the contacts tab and see everything there, i just can't figure out a way to export to a .vcf from there

That suggests that you do not have a database corruption issue. So as I previously suggested, have a look at Simple Mobile Tools and their Contacts app. Look for the standard version (not Pro) on Google's Play Store which is free and supports the export of contacts to a VCF file.

hey dave - can i ask you a personal question? have u ever updated android on a smartphone....... it seems like a very risky task. as opening contacts is too complicated for android...and which version did you update to? did u go from a like a 10 to an 11 or a baby step 10.1 to a 10.2

Yes. It depends on the manufacturer of the device as to how smoothly things have gone. I have never broken a device with an upgrade, though I have disliked some changes at times.

[billyswong]

i didn't know it depends on the manufacturer of the phone. that blows. is it harder to update android on a smartphone or to update linux mint on a computer?

Android is based on Linux. But a combination of (1) drivers for phone hardware are more often than not tailor-made and proprietary (they never standardize wirings etc across brands and devices) and (2) Linux kernel and drivers are tightly coupled, cause most smartphones unable to run the upstream kernel.

Therefore, system update in Android ecosystem are usually provided by phone manufacturers, and mostly last for about 1 to 2 years before dry up. There is very low incentive for phone manufacturers to provide system update for a long time as it conflicts with their interest - they want people buy new phones! Spending money to keep old phones up to date forever is against their revenue and profit!

So on one hand, bricking a smartphone by official updates is hard as the update has been tested on exactly the same hardware before pushing to you. The update process is smooth. Make sure you are not low in battery, a few taps of confirmation, reboot, done. On the other hand, getting unofficial updates after the manufacturer abandoned your model is extremely hard. It may be nowhere to find. Or after finding it, they will ask you to "unlock bootloader" and a ton of other difficult maneuver. Then in the process it is very easy to trigger a wipe to all your data.

[dave0808]

what i don't get it is why it didn't do an update? i already had this same app which kept crashing. makes no sense why it would let me download it again instead of updating it

Who knows!? Just be grateful that your issue is resolved.

about your experience updating android. respect. i didn't know it depends on the manufacturer of the phone. that blows. is it harder to update android on a smartphone or to update linux mint on a computer?

Regarding the manufacturer comment I made.. it's not that there are issues with the upgrade mechanism itself. I don't think I've had an issue with the actual update. Just that some changes were not appreciated and some of those changes were specific to the manufacturer. It's like anything that you upgrade... some changes are made which may mean that something you did or were used to doing, no longer functions in the same way.

That's not to say that you shouldn't update.

What can be difficult is that the major version upgrades are going to potentially bring a lot of changes and usually the newer version makes use of the faster CPU, larger memory capacity, etc that is available in newer devices. Therefore it's not going to run so well on older hardware. All manufacturers limit how far back the upgrade is supported.

Upgrade Android vs Mint? Probably Android is the easier, because it's a smaller eco-system overall and the user-space apps are restricted in the way they can change the system, unlike us Linux tinkerers. The Mint team have done incredible work smoothing out the upgrade process, but they are always going to come up against some user that has done something unique to their system that could never be anticipated.

[xenopeek]

This is not an Android support forum. Topic locked.