I've run into a sync loop: Either my contacts are repeatedly duplicating, I'm making edits to my contacts & those edits aren't sticking, or I'm noting mass deletions. What is happening, and how can I fix it?
Typically, sync loops manifest as mass contact duplication or deletion. Currently, we have a detection system that watches for these effects and temporarily suspends syncing in your Contacts+ account when this happens.
However, detecting a sync loop isn't always guaranteed on our end. Additionally, sometimes it can be difficult for you (as a Contacts+ user) to provide sufficient information to identify the "bridge" completing the sync loop. In other words, here's how a sync loop occurs: you've connected your Google Contacts and your iCloud address book to Contacts+; however, either accidentally or intentionally, you have another third-party app that's syncing your Google Contacts and your iCloud address books together (along with Contacts+).
That being said, here's how you can determine if there's a syncing loop occurring in your Contacts+ account:
1. Head over to your Settings page in Contacts+ for Web. Take a look at which email accounts you've connected to Contacts+; these connected sources include Google Contacts, iCloud, and/or Exchange/Office 365/Outlook.
2. Find the contact "Contacts+ Support" in one of your connected sources (Google Contacts, iCloud, or Exchange/Office 365/Outlook). To note, you'll want to find the "Contacts+ Support" contact outside of Contacts+; in other words, log into your Gmail, iCloud, or Outlook account in another tab and find "Contacts+ Support" in your contact list.
3. If you're experiencing a syncing loop, you'll notice that this contact, "Contacts+ Support," has a section of notes in the notes field along with an "origin." This origin will either say Google, iCloud, or Exchange.
Go ahead and make an edit/change in the notes field below the dashed line. ***Note: You will NOT see these notes (below the dashed line) in your Contacts+ account, they're only visible in your external sources. Here's what you'll see under the support contact on your external sources:
To clarify, the "Origin" will be there the moment any other third-party syncs your two sources (i.e. Google Contacts and iCloud).
4. If the change made does propagate to your other connected source, there's something besides Contacts+ that is syncing the sources together, thus establishing a syncing loop. However, if the change/edit made doesn't show up in another source/address book that you have connected with Contacts+, you're NOT experiencing a syncing loop.
In other words, the purpose of this edit is to confirm that there's nothing still syncing your sources (other than Contacts+) after having taken action to break the loop.
5. If you're not experiencing a syncing loop but still believe there's an issue going on, please email our Support team.
6. After fixing the sync loop (by removing the third-party apps that are connecting your sources), delete the "Contacts+ Support" contact with the mismatched origin in your external sources (Google Contacts, iCloud, or Exchange/Office 365/Outlook). Contacts+ will notice this and within 24 hours, we will resume syncing.
Note: A mismatched origin includes seeing the wrong origin in one of your external sources. For example, if you're logged into your Google Contacts account but you see "origin: _____ (iCloud)" in the notes field, that indicates a mismatched origin.