I sent this to Samsung via feedback, but I wanted to open it up here in case anyone’s found a workaround.
Lately, I’ve noticed Google Contacts syncing at unpredictable times—like right now, while I’m posting this and watching my battery drain. I rely on my phone throughout the day, and having background sync kick in whenever it wants (especially when I’m not charging) isn’t ideal.
I’d love to see more user control over sync behavior—like restricting it to when the device is charging or on Wi-Fi. Has anyone figured out a way to manage or delay contact sync more intentionally?
Appreciate any insights or settings tweaks you’ve discovered.
---
Post to Samsung...
I’ve noticed that Google Contacts sync initiates at seemingly random times, including during active device use or when battery conservation is critical. As a user focused on stewardship and operational clarity, I’d like to request more granular control over sync behavior—specifically the ability to restrict sync to when the device is charging or connected to Wi-Fi.
This would align with other battery-conscious settings and empower users to manage background activity more intentionally. Is there a roadmap or workaround that allows for this level of sync scheduling?
Thank you for considering this feedback.
System logs attached as the sync is currently happening while I type this message.
I appreciate your detailed response. I am not comfortable with Google becoming the sole proprietor of my contacts and I am now looking for alternatives. The sync between devices (Phone and PC) and when getting a new phone is indeed convenient, but in my opinion, Google has overstepped their domain particularly with the all or nothing setup. I should be able to turn off Google Contact Sync and maintain the contacts stored locally on my device. These are my contacts, and yes lots of them, not Googles.
I will likely report back alternatives for those who may be interested, which is one of the great values of this community to share information!
I have been using Google as my sole contact keeper since its inception - about 17 years now. In the old days people found it very hard to switch (or want to switch) phones due to how onerous it was to transfer contacts (and there was no contact backup, so if you lost your phone, you lost your contacts). Google came up with Google contacts and I stored all my contacts there and never looked back. The contacts are viewable and editable from any device where you can log into your Google account and, of course, become your Gmail contacts.
If you turn off Google Sync you can still restore your contacts back to your phone by simply selecting "export contacts" in the contacts settings or selectively restore them from Samsung backup. Your contacts will still be backed up in Google's Backup and Samsung's backup and retrievable on a restore. So, It really is not necessary to have Google Contact Sync on at all, unless you frequently edit your contacts through Google Contacts. The purpose of the sync is so that if you have multiple contact storage locations (SIM/phone/Google), all locations will have the same info. If you have only one location (phone), no sync is necessary. I know it sounds like I'm writing around in circles, but I'm not feeling particularly articulate enough today to be succinct.
Let me ask you something. You trust Google to be the operating system for your phone, and utilize their backup services, why would you not trust them to be the storage location for your contacts? Having them contained solely in Google contacts does not mean it has to be the sole proprietor of your contacts - you can back them up by downloading them to a .csv file, therefore making them available to be imported to other contact managers and available if something should happen to Google servers (which hasn't happened yet).
------------------------------------------------------------- Please mark any response that helped you as your solution. -------------------------------------------------------------
My trust in Google and confidentiality has waned over the years. There are boundaries for what information flows from the OS that powers my phone to Google. Contacts are personal and private information. I am looking at alternatives, even if that means locally stored contacts backed up to my PC and updated from time to time to both devices. That's not super convenient, but I have my concerns as I mentioned. Thinking it through. At the very least, exporting one's contacts is wise, even if Google servers are stable. Redundancy is good.
