Update: We're excited to announce that the new Gmail Contacts for Google Apps has launched for all Rapid Release users as of 4/7/11. Please continue to give us your feedback in the Comments below.
In addition to all of the improvements we made to Contacts for individual users, we’ve been hard at work on bringing additional, business-specific features to help you and your colleagues get in touch with contacts more easily. Now, you can:
- Add new contact information that will default to “Work” instead of “Home” field types
- View contact details from the domain directory together with the contact details that you’ve added yourself
- Add contacts from the domain directory to your “My Contacts” list in a single click
- Manage groups more easily by quickly adding email addresses to groups, and picking from a contact’s multiple email addresses to use on a group-by-group basis
- Revert changes to your Contacts for up to 30 days in case you need to restore deleted or merged contacts, or undo an import
If you’re the Google Apps administrator for your organization, you can enable the new Contacts interface in Gmail for your users from the Service Settings > Contacts area of the next generation administrative control panel. It may take up to an hour for users to see the difference once you make the change.
Make collaboration easier today by switching to the new Gmail Contacts (and once you do, be sure to contact us with your feedback).
47 comments:
Are there any plans to provide the ability to access the domain directory (gal) using Google Apps Scripts?
This is great and a major improvement. One other huge request I have had is the ability to import in VCF files directly from Gmail instead of having to export out, then import in.
Also, in the list of Contacts, having the ability to show the Company Name (and sort by it), is probably the largest request I have received from my users.
great feature....\m/
When will the contact sync happen between vanilla Google account and Google apps account? I know soocial is doing it but I really don't want third party app for it.
finally. I switched from regular gmail to a google apps (though still personal use) and was missing the improved contacts.
great work. thanks.
It would be really great if in the future we could promptly get the same improvements as regular gmail users.
If you're worried about stability, or enterprise... then do it like this, where you hide the change behind a setting, and let the google apps admin to enable/disable the feature.
thanks again.
Good update but you still haven't addressed the one important feature that a lot of people want:
Shared contacts across all users in a domain. While I understand that user account contact info can be shared, we would like to have a shared contacts area that all users can update. The current model creates duplicity across the environment with every user storing a copy of the same contact info. If we had a "My Contacts" area and a "Business Contacts" area that would reduce duplication across accounts and improve efficiency in keeping contacts up to date for everyone.
i can see no changing in my domain
I just tried to follow your instructions to enable this feature and I have no "Contacts" coption off the "Service Settings" menu.
Please advise.
Can the default of "home" and "work" be changed per user or per organization?
Great news! But when will we able to mark e-mail addresses as 'obsolete' so that old conversations will still be linked to the contact but GMail won't suggest those addresses as we type?!
Same here Ken, I haven't the option on my menu.
Problem - same as Ken's above: I just tried to follow your instructions to enable this feature and I have no "Contacts" option off the "Service Settings" menu.
I have the "next generation" admin panel switched on too. Please advise. Thanks Paul.
I am paying for Google Apps Premier and I was perfectly happy with a new contact defaulting to "Home" phone instead of "Work" phone. I want it to default to "Home" phone, but with Google's latest change today, a new contact defaults to "Work" phone. That's a great way to lose paying customers unless there's a way to switch the default new contact back to "Home" phone. Not everyone who pays for Google Apps is in a work environment. Does anyone know how to make this revert back to how it was? Thanks.
So, can we share contacts between gmail users now?
Are there any plans on implementing CardDAV för access to Contacts?
Same Here Ken.
I'm too unable to Find the path Service Settings>Contacts.
PS: I've Next generation enabled in US English.
Global Contacts for all apps domain account is must. even needed more size in Note, so that we can store the comments on particular contact. so other user in our domain can see it and act accordingly.
I agree with RidinTheK-Waves.
This is a great update but the real functionality that businesses seek is having a true shared "address book". The reduction in updates and ability for contacts to instantly show up when new employees arrive is there in Outlook/Exchange. Needs to be here too.
That being said, great job with this update. Look forward to exploring more of the changes.
Why I can't find the System Contacts-Groups Family, Friends, Co-Workers? Picasa is using it, Android are using it. I can get them by a link, but they don't appear as contact group in the sidebar.
Future request: Shared contacts as above said
Add checkbox to each contact, if checked the contact is added to the domain contacts.
i have all 'next gen' and new features enabled in my google apps premium account. i enabled the new contacts feature last night and still no change. is this a staggered roll-out?
It's sad, Google still hasn't listened to it's most requested feature on a true GAL. My contact at Google for Google Apps for Government has stated "it's coming" for now the second year in a row. Still nothing.
Seems this is only available for business and education users, not the free accounts. When will this be upgraded for free accounts?
I have "next generation" checked, and I don't see "contacts" under "service settings".
Is this something that's rolling out slowly?
sorting by first and last name :) about time :)
No "contacts" option of the service settings menu?
Still missing since years the common company wide contacts list. Really, is this so hard to achieve?
Same as Ken, I have not the available under menu.
I have the US english only next generation control panel.
Please help!
Well, I checked the new Contacts on the Service Settings, but nothing changed :(
there you go. It's enabled now :)
@Fabio, @Zack, here are a few things to check to make sure the new version is available.
1. You'll need to use the next-generation control panel. (See the help link in the original post above.)
2. The Contacts Service needs to be enabled in the control panel's Service Settings.
3. Turn this version on under Service Settings > Contacts.
4. Give the setting up to an hour to take effect.
@Ken, @Glenn, @Paul, @GV, @Andy, @Samuel, @Zack, it looks like you'll need to do #2 above. Here's more info just in case: http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=182426
@Carlos you might need to give it an hour for the setting to take effect.
Thanks,
Sean Purcell
Product Manager, Google Contacts
Thanks everyone for the great feature requests for Contacts. We're always working to improve our products. Stay tuned...
So we've gained some good features (especially restoring contacts to a previous date which is huge !!) .. but we lost some nice features like search as you type, quick preview on the side bar.
Still think it's a very good change. Thanks Google
I'm having the same problem as Carlos, I checked "new Contacts" three days ago and haven't seen any change.
To those of you who don't see "Contacts" under Service Settings, you have to go add "Contacts" as an application to your domain, it's doesn't seem to be there by default. I'm pretty sure I did this from the Dashboard by saying "Add Services"
Hey, just an update to my comment from a few hours ago, it just started working for me. Either a) it took three days, or b) I also just went into the dashboard and enabled google groups. Maybe you have to have both google groups and google contacts enabled for your domain? Anyway, my google apps for business is now running the new contacts interface, very yummy!
I really love the change! Need a Contacts Group Manager where I can customize all the fields in that group the same way. Example: If I am a teacher I may have all my students in a group
I may have a field that says (Test Score)Would be nice. The notes Section is WAY TOO BIG. I would like dated postings a lot better. Nice improvement!
@Sean Purcell
Thanks a lot for helping message on march 01, 2011.
My problem is not solved with it, because I already have the next-generation control panel, but Service Settings > Contacts is not availabe (I have not contacts under service settings menu).
What am I suppose to do?
----------
1. You'll need to use the next-generation control panel. (See the help link in the original post above.)
2. The Contacts Service needs to be enabled in the control panel's Service Settings.
3. Turn this version on under Service Settings > Contacts.
4. Give the setting up to an hour to take effect.
----------
Since gmail android update of 14th Feb contacts
no longer sync, When will this be fixed ??????
@Zack try this:
1. Logon to your google apps
2. Click on the "Manage this domain" link in the top right.
3. On the main page "dashboard" look about halfway down and next to "Service settings" there is a link for "add more services" - click it
4. Under the Contacts listing click the "Add it now" button
5. At the top of the screen on the blue menu that runs along the top click on "Service settings" and then "contacts"
6. Put a checkmark next to "Preview the new contact manager in Gmail"
7. Click the "Save changes" button at the bottom of the page.
8. Give it an hour or so to take effect.
..... hopefully that does it for you.
It would be GREAT to add a feature that enables users to open Contacts in a new window/tab instead of having to select either your mail or your contacts... I often need to use both side by side...
@Andy
thank you! I could do everything as you wrote. Now waiting :-)
@Andy
Thanks!! ;)
Greetings,
Jason
Andy: Thanks much! I was experiencing the same problem. The original post does not provide these instructions. I think the post itself should be updated so those in need will find the implementation straight forward instead of having to search comments after some amount of hair pulling.
Dear Google. Don't give us mystical "stay tuned" answers like we have always received. We need "Will be released on the date of: ____,___" so that we, as administrators of accounts can plan for things. This is not a birthday party, we don't need to be surprised. We WANT to use Google products, but making us completely incapable of answering to management when what is considered a basic feature will be rolled out is crippling.
I have recommended Google Apps to several clients, and am now struggling under the amazing inability to share contacts. Let's see... take a hidden Google Docs spreadsheet, share it out to everyone in the domain at read only level, and plug it in via an API call to the already existing Google Docs API and have it put in the details when typing in an email address. At least do something small until a "real" contact management solution is available.
I am now forced to go and apologize to my users, and will have to go purchase and configure Exchange, deducting the hours of time for setting things up, because of these basic features missing in Google Apps. Again, if we had something like a vague release schedule would come out, it would go a long way toward us supporting Google verbally. But we can't continue to recommend it when it's not going to work.
Thank you, and please, Sean, et al., understand our frustration.
@John, thanks for your feedback. We recently launched a portal to update our users about recent and upcoming feature launches. You can find information about this here http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-google-apps-feature-release-process.html
I have been trying to use google sync with my blackberry for several weeks but the sync is never done right. My appointments from the blackberry and google never sync properly. Also the contact get double,triple,and quadrupedal. One time I had a couple contacts repeated 42 times.
If this problem gets solved what will happen if I want to sync with my personal and business account. How will that effect my contacts and appointments.
I have virtual assistants and they can't even do my contact and calenders because the information doesn't sync over correct.
I am really frustrated I have a google email for personal, business and only use you as my search engine and getting annoyed dealing with issue.
Please help!
Thank you!
Does any one know how I can get google sync to work correct with my black berry bold because right now it doubles and triples all my information, ie calender appointments, contacts, and etc.
Please help!
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