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Syncing

A contact you deleted in Google, Microsoft, Apple or CardDAV

What you see in ContactZapp after you delete a contact directly in a connected account, and how to bring it back.

You deleted a contact directly in one of your accounts, not in ContactZapp. This page says what you see in ContactZapp. To choose what happens, see Choose how deletions sync.

When we notice

We notice at the next check of that account. Not at once. How soon depends on how often we check. See Change how often ContactZapp checks.

If Pass deletions on to the other accounts is on

  1. The contact moves to Deleted in ContactZapp.
  2. We delete it from your other two-way accounts.
  3. You can bring it back for 12 months.

Until the next sync does this, the contact can still show in your list. Its details mark the account it was deleted in.

To bring it back:

  1. Tap Contacts.
  2. Tap the Deleted filter.
  3. Find the contact. Tap Restore on its row.

See Restore deleted contacts for what happens next.

If it is off

Your other accounts keep their copies. The contact stays in ContactZapp.

  • In the Contacts list, the contact reads Not synced. Its tooltip reads "Not synced — deleted on" followed by the account.
  • In the contact's details, a message reads "Deleted in" followed by the account, then "Deletions are not passed on to your other accounts." Tap Change this in Settings to open the setting.

To put the contact back in the account you deleted it from:

  1. Tap Contacts. Open the contact.
  2. In its accounts, tap the badge that reads "Deleted on" followed by the account, "— bring it back".
  3. Tap Recreate on followed by the account.

We show Recreating on… while it runs. The contact is then back in that account.

If something goes wrong

  • "We couldn't recreate this contact. Try again in a moment." Tap Recreate on again.
  • "…has no address book selected, so this contact can't be re-created there. Choose one for it in Settings." Choose an address book for that account in Settings. Then try again.
  • The contact is still in your other accounts. Check that the setting is on. Then check that those accounts are two-way and not paused. See A contact is missing from an account.
  • You turned the setting on after deleting contacts. We delete them from your other accounts at the next sync, without asking. See Choose how deletions sync.

What happens if I delete a contact directly in a connected account?

At its next check of that account, ContactZapp sees the contact is gone. What happens next depends on Pass deletions on to the other accounts in Settings › Sync, which is on by default.

When it is on, the contact moves to Deleted in ContactZapp, and we delete it from your other two-way accounts. You can restore it from Deleted for 12 months. When it is off, your other accounts keep their copies. The contact shows as deleted in that account, and you can put it back there with Recreate on Google (or Microsoft, iCloud or CardDAV) in the contact's details. If you switch Pass deletions on to the other accounts on later, it also deletes, at the next sync, the contacts you had already deleted in an account while it was off. They go to Deleted, where you can restore them.

Read-only accounts are never changed, so they keep their copy either way.