[Fix] Google Contacts sync error from Android phone

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A widespread issue affecting various Android versions, from KitKat to Oreo, involves a sync error with Google Contacts, displaying the message "Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly." Despite Google suggesting temporary fixes like removing and re-adding accounts or clearing the contacts app data, these solutions have not proven effective for many users. A user resolved the issue by deleting all data from Google Play Services, which restored sync functionality. The process included accessing Contacts, adjusting display settings, and attempting to merge accounts, but this did not work for everyone. The successful resolution highlights a potential workaround for those experiencing similar sync problems.
Wrichik Basu
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TL;DR
A fix for the contacts sync error with Google account
This is a known issue all over the net, and with almost all versions of Android, from KitKat to Oreo. If you have enabled contacts sync with Google, you might get the following error if you head to Accounts section under Settings, and then select Google:
Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly.
No official solution has been rolled out. Google mentions some hacks, like removing and adding the account, clearing the data of contacts app, etc.

None of these worked for me, so I have been manually "syncing" my contacts for the last 8 months or so.

Today, I found my phone storage was almost full. So I decided (I don't know why) to delete all the data of the Google Play Services. Voila! Sync is now back and working properly.

Just wanted to share this so that others who face the same problem can try it out. I tried from Samsung Galaxy On7, Android 6.0.1.
 
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Likes Tom.G
Computer science news on Phys.org
I followed these steps like the website Techgara said:
  • Go to Contacts
  • Tap Menu, then select Contacts to Display
  • Select Device (usually a blue phone icon). After this, only the contacts on your phone will appear
  • Tap Menu again and select Merge Accounts
  • Select the Merge with Google option, which will merge all your contacts with Google.
  • Go back and select Menu again.
  • Select Contacts to display, then All contacts. You should see all your contacts this time
But it didn't work.
I'm going to try yours.
 
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