Mostly a “note to self”, but others may find it useful.
If you properly configure your iPhone/MacOS devices to you can use Google Contacts pervasively. For example, messaging apps show names, not phone numbers. What I see in Messages on my phone is in sync with what I see on my Macs.
I’m not saying this is what you should do. It works for me and others may find it useful.
My configuration:
I use Google Contacts on my personal gmail account as my primary contacts. My employer uses Google Workplace, and that has a Contacts database that they populate.
On my Mac:
- Preferences -> Internet accounts
- Disable iCloud Drive, Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
- Preferences -> Contacts and internet accounts
- Go into “Contacts”, preferences, and “Enable this account” for (my personal email address) and (my work email address).
- DISABLE for iCloud.
Messages on MacOS:
- Go to Message, settings.
- Check “Enable Messages in iCloud”
- Check “Send read receipts”
Contacts on iPhone
- Settings -> Apple Account (your avatar) -> iCloud
- Messages in iCloud (enable “Use on this phone”)
- Click “sync”
- Settings -> Apps (the last item on the first page) -> Contacts
- “Contacts Accounts”
- Configure iCloud, personal email, work email.
- “Fetch new data” set to “push”
Messages on iPhone:
- On my iPhone: Enable “SMS forwarding” as follows:
- On my phone, go to Settings -> Messages ->
- Text Message Forwarding. Enable this computer.
- NOTE TO SELF: The last time they changed where that setting is in System Settings, I found it again by searching for SMS.
If phone numbers (not names) appears in Messages (MacOS):
- Start “Messages”, Preferences -> iMessage. Log out of iCloud.
- Make sure you have the right accounts enabled in Contacts.
- Go back to Messages and log back into iCloud.
- (I got this tip from calling AppleCare. In general, I find that AppleCare is really good at debugging these kind of problems. They have internal docs with the exact steps you need. No guessing. When you call, tell them the problem you see, not your guess at what the cause is. They’re really good!)
Sidenote:
- Messages: Apple’s txting app
- Messager: Facebook’s chatting app
- Don’t confuse the two.
