Always receive message "No contacts on phone!"

[scamper]

Whenever I try to sync my phonebook I receive a message "No contacts on phone! Transfer contacts from program to phone?"

I do have contacts on my phone. If I choose No to the message, the program continues synching other items and the message appears next time I sync. If I choose yes, it seems to re-sync all of the items. The next time I sync though I get the same message.

If I check my contacts they are all there. If I create a new contact on my computer and sync the phonebook I receive the message. Interestingly, if I choose No to the message, the program continues and will sync the new phonebook entry.

I tried deleting all of my contacts and synching again. However the next time I got the message again. I uninstalled the client on my PC and deleted the Database and reinstalled. However I got the message again on the second and each later sync.

I am synching between MPE and Outlook 2010.

- Model of phone: LG Nexus 4
- Type of connection: Wifi
- MPE-version: 1.8.4
- Windows version: Windows 7 SP1 64 bit
- Firmware version: Android 4.2

Thank you.

P.S. It may or may not be related but if I delete a contact on my phone and sync the contact isn't deleted as being deleted. If I delete if from within MPE on the computer and then sync I'm prompted to either delete the contact from Outlook or to add it to the phone.

[scamper]

The issue appears to be the sync of contacts with my Google account. Sorry for the hassle. I didn't understand what the message was actually telling me.

What I did:
1) Turned off contact sync with my Google account. Deleted all contacts on Google account
2) Deleted all contacts on the phone, leaving the only copy of contacts in Outlook.
3) Uninstalled MPE choosing to delete the phone data. Rebooted. Reinstalled.
4) Configured MPE to connect via Wifi and sync contacts.

At the end of step 4 I was able to sync successfully. Tested creating a contact in Outlook and it was created on phone after sync. I deleted that contact on the phone and it deleted in Outlook after a sync. No error messages appeared.

I then re-enabled synching of contacts with my Google account. The next time I synched phonebook with MPE I got the error message again "No contacts on phone! Transfer contacts from program to phone?"

I turned off contact sync but the message still appeared. However, when I checked the MPE settings and went to Contact-accounts so sync I enabled the Google account. This then prevented the message from appearing.

[FJ]

Its a known problem since Android 4. There are many phones without local contact account. If you advice MyPhoneExplorer to store new contacts on the phone (in this case without any contact account information) then the Google-Service will move them into the Google-Account.

Solution 1: Install a local contact account and sync with this (f.e. "MyAccounts" from Google Play)
Solution 2: Include Google in the contact accounts for sync

[Shohreh]

For some reason, I'm having this same issue now with every sync, while it only occured the first time after rebooting the phone.

Now, each Contact item in Outlook is added to the phone's People every time, so I end up with multiple copies of each item.

FWIW, I use MPE to sync my Android phone with Outlook 2007.

I don't understand what is meant above about Google Accounts. What is the easiest solution that won't disrupt anything?

Thank you.

[Shohreh]

Should I add a new application so that MPE syncs with a local account?

http://tinypic.com/r/dp7six/5

Why does this issue occur all of a sudden, although until now, this error message would only show up once after rebooting the phone?

Thank you.

[Shohreh]

Here's what I tried:

1. On phone, removed all contacts through Settings > Apps > Contacts : Clear data

2. On PC, changed MPE settings : Sync > Contacts > Advanced: Force Outlook -> phone

3. Launched full sync

4. On PC, changed MPE settings back to "Sync both"

5. Launched full sync: Error message displayed again on PC, and each contact is again available in several copies: It looks like MPE keeps some counter somewhere (PC? Phone?), and emptying data on phone isn't enough to start from clean state.

Note that contact items in Outlook only appear once each in Contacts.

[dvhttn]

Do you want/need to sync with Google? By that I mean, do you want/need your contacts in the 'cloud'? If so you need to be careful as, the way you're doing it now you sync Outlook on your PC with the phone, then Google syncs this with their 'cloud'.

Tell us what you want to sync with what.

[Shohreh]

No, I don't use Google at all. I just use MPE to sync Outlook with my Android phone over USB.

Everything worked fine until recently: I only got that message the first time after rebooting the phone.

Now, the message pops up every time I sync, and each contact in Outlook is added again, which means that I'm now at something like over ten copies of each item.

As said above, I sync both ways (Outlook <-> Phone).

Thanks.

[dvhttn]

Ok. No Google then .... That's the way I do it - sync Outlook (2010 running on XP Pro) to my Android phone (running 4.2.2). I use wifi though. I have a Google account so I can access the Play store so there is a Google contacts list on my phone and this is what I use to sync to (use the MPE settings on the phone to 'account to add contacts to' - or similar).

You first have to clear all contacts storage on the phone and set up MPE to poiint to that contacts account. You also have to make sure that Google contacts sync is OFF (I usually freeze/remove that app). Then fire up MPE on the desktop and 'download entire'. This downloads the phone database (empty) and thus 'zeros' MPE on the PC. Then sync as normal.

Ensure the time/timezone settings are correct on both as well.

Then everything should work fine ......

[Shohreh]

Thanks, but still no go. I don't use Google at all, so left the default settings on the phone.

Here's what it says on my phone:
http://i41.tinypic.com/qrfebn.png

[Shohreh]

More testing:

1. On Phone: Settings > Apps > Contacts-Storage : Clear Data. Checked that People was empty
2. Sync Contacts through MPE: Multiples are back.
3. On Phone: Settings > Apps > Contacts + Contacts-Storage: Clear Data. People only contains a single occurence of each contact
4. Sync Contacts through MPE: Error msg "No contacts on phone"; Some items are unique, others are there two or more times.

[dupondt]

Here's what it says on my phone:
http://i41.tinypic.com/qrfebn.png

Screenshot #2 says it all: "Your phone has no local contact account. The Google account will fetch all contacts which are not assigned to any account. With your settings this could cause problems with duplicates. Install a local contact account or include the Google account in the sync selection."

FJ posted the possible solutions above. Follow his advice to resolve the issue.

Greetings
dupondt

[Shohreh]

Thing is, I dutifully launched the Play Store application, searched for and installed "MyAccounts"... but what next?
No icon is added for that app, and the MPE app > Settings doesn't include a new option in either '"Contact-accounts to sync" or "Add new contacts to sync".

What must be done after installing MyAccounts for MPE to sync contacts as expected?

Thank you.

Edit: Is the "MyAccounts" app the one from Neo4Android?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... myaccounts

[Shohreh]

For the benefit of other users:

On the phone...
1. Through Google's PlayStore, install Neo4Android's MyContacts
2. Settings > Accounts > Add account: MyContacts
3. MPE > Settings > Contact-accounts to sync = MyContacts
4. MPE > Settings > Add new contacts to = MyContacts
5. Settings > Apps > All > Contacts Storage : Clear data
6. Sync phone with PC through MPE: Error message will appear once, items will be created on phone, but the error message will no longer show up and items won't be duplicated.

Thank you.

[Shohreh]

False hope: Some items are again listed several times, while others are fine.

I notice that, for some reason, some items I deleted in Outlook and don't show up in MPE on the PC were sent to the People applet on the phone.

Edit: I notice that 1) there are no duplicates when xxx on the "My Contacts" icon (first on the left at the top), 2) the duplicates show up when xxx on the "Me" icon (second from the left), and 3) the People app doesn't include MyContacts from MyAccounts in its "Contacts to display" panel.

http://postimg.org/image/cem8cb2zp/

[dvhttn]

So, have you tried linking MPE to one of the google accounts on the phone after turning off sync'ing with google? And, when you've cleared all the contacts data on the phone doing a 'download entire' with MPE on your PC before sync'ing?

I suggested this above but you never said whether you tried it or not.

[FJ]

It seems MyAccounts does not work correct on Android ICS or newer. I just released a identical app (with hopefully less problems): https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... calaccount

Please test and report

[chgrbt]

[quote="FJ"]It seems MyAccounts does not work correct on Android ICS or newer. I just released a identical app (with hopefully less problems): https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... calaccount

Please test and report[/quote]

Happy to report, after setting up a local account on Android 4.1.2 on Motorola Razr xt925, contacts syncronize in both directions with MS Outlook (2007)/WinXP. Even newly created contacts on the phone now syncronize to MS Outlook. Before when I didn't have a proper local account set up using your "mylocalaccount" app, (my contacts were all "local contacts on phone"), contacts would go from MS Outlook to the phone, but contacts created new on the phone would not go to MS Outlook.

Thanks FJ, this application does everything I need and does it well.

[thebaz]

Long term user of MPE. Was a bit disappointed when it no longer would sync my 4.3 android phone. Thanks to the Mylocalaccount app. It fixed my problem too. I installed the app on my wifes identical phone after it fixed mine and could not get it to sync. After uninstalling the app and re-installing all was good. Thanks FJ
Great program.

[tocguy]

CM Mod 10.2 on Samsung Galaxy S II phone.
After installing mylocalaccount from the Play store it appears under Settings -> Manage Apps but nowhere else. In the MPE phone client under the Contact-accounts to sync option, mylocalaccount option does not appear in the sync list. Only Phone, Google, and LinkedIn accounts.

What should I be seeing related to mylocalaccount and where should I be seeing it?

Attempts to sync with the PC MPE result in the same "No contacts on phone" message.

X-posted to "No contacts on phone!" http://www.fjsoft.at/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 619#109619.

Wiped phone's contact storage.
Forced Outlook to Phone - copied good.
Reset Contacts settings to Sync-both.
Re-sync - No contacts on phone again.