Android Tablet and Phone Sync

[langenet]

I'm calling for all the Android power users to answer a question I have about syncing data/apps between a tablet and phone. Apple uses the icloud and my wife basically did nothing except log in to her Apple account and her iphone and ipad-air were in sync. I'm not sure about apps but the data at least. Does the Andoid user have this ability? I think there's a Google service for this but embarrassingly, not sure what is required. I'm getting a new Samsung Tab 10.1 and have an S3 for a phone.

[Edvins]

I believe Google Drive is Google's answer to iCloud. You could also take a look at a service called SugarSync, that will do what you are looking for....

[Uncle Michael]

In Settings / Data Usage, tap the menu (3 boxes at the upper right). There is a check box to automatically sync the device, which I believe is for the accounts active on that device. Presumably, if two devices have the box checked and they have the same account active, they will be kept in sync. There may be app specific selections as well so some apps may be excluded.

[Person]

Just like your IOS device you have google account associated w/ your Android device. If you use same account on more than one device then you can enable syncing. Even on IOS you have to choose which data to sync although basic things like apps and contacts might sync by default.

[langenet]

Well I have a google account - enabled syncing of my calendar/contacts, sync'd it....but nothing. Now I understand why Apple is a winner in this areana.
I don't have a gmail account - don't want one really. Where can I log in to see my contacts, calendar etc? This is the part that's confusing me.

[CFGuy]

The gmail account is where the contacts are.
I have a gmail account but I never use it so I don't give it out to anyone.

I login my phone to my gmail account which gives me a sync of all my contacts, and calendar. On my laptop, I use outlook and I purchased a program called gSyncIt. This updates my Outlook contacts and calendar with gmail. I can make a contact change or add an item to the calendar in outlook and within about 5 seconds it is on my phone.
Going the other way from phone to outlook takes longer because I only have gSyncIt set to check for changes every 20 minutes.

[langenet]

I mange my own e-mail server which also holds all my contacts and calendar events. I sync it with an Android app called SyncML to my phone. I have an Outlook sync program by Nexthaus SyncJe for Outlook which updates Outlook automatically. So between e-mail, calendar and contacts, I have it covered.This is where all my problems begin - because now I need to install the SyncML client on my tablet. If the world was as simple as Apple (and I'm no Apple fan - well maybe soon to be), this would all be sync'd without having to configure more than a AppleId...

I'm discouraged with the hoops of complexity Android is seemly needing to do something so basic...

[skybolt]

... I'm discouraged with the hoops of complexity Android is seemly needing to do something so basic...

I don't understand what your not getting? To me it appears that Apple isn't going to help you either.

Android has an outlook or external email client. GMail is Androids way of handling email and is what will sync with all of your device automatically when signed in with your GMail email account. It's that simple. You can export all of your Outlook contacts and import them into GMail as well.

I combine my non Google email in the external email viewer. and my GMail accounts in the GMail one.

If you want a to sync your complete calendar and contacts on the fly, there is an app called touchdown, which is what I use for my business email and calendar.

And BTW, my job gives me an iPhone, but I choose to use Android. Only Samsung, there the best IMO. I keep the iPhone shut off in my desk.

[CFGuy]

I mange my own e-mail server which also holds all my contacts and calendar events. I sync it with an Android app called SyncML to my phone. I have an Outlook sync program by Nexthaus SyncJe for Outlook which updates Outlook automatically. So between e-mail, calendar and contacts, I have it covered.This is where all my problems begin - because now I need to install the SyncML client on my tablet. If the world was as simple as Apple (and I'm no Apple fan - well maybe soon to be), this would all be sync'd without having to configure more than a AppleId...

I'm discouraged with the hoops of complexity Android is seemly needing to do something so basic...

I don't see how it is so different. You are saying that with apple you only have to have an AppleID. With Android you only have to have a gMail account. When I got my new Samsung Note 3, all I had to do was enter my gmail account and all of my contacts and calendar events were on my new phone within seconds.

[langenet]

Thanks for your help guys...

I don't know... maybe I'm getting old - or it's too many doses of Buckly's trying to fight this cold.
I have a gmail account, setup the phone with the gmail account, press sync - sync happens. Log into gmail, no contact updates or calendar updates - even though the phone said it was successful.

Robert

[CFGuy]

It's just different than what you are used to. Like changing to a new windows OS. I couldn't stand windows 7 until I finally got a laptop with it on it and had to learn it.

With Android, you have more control over what you actually want to sync. You should have a Contacts icon. Click that. Click the settings menu and look for an option of Accounts. Click and then click on Add account. Add your gMail account. That should sync your Contacts.

Then go into Calendar. Click the Menu button and then click on Calendars. If you have setup a calendar in google, then you should see a list of the calendars. Click the checkbox next to the calendar or calendars that you want to sync.

Literally, I can edit a contact through the gMail web interface and see the change on my phone within seconds. The same with the calendars.

I have one google calendar setup called Farmer Family. I then shared the Farmer Family with my wifes google account. Now either one of us can add something to our phones calendar and it gets synced to both phones.

[langenet]

Jeff,

Thanks for confirming what I've done.

For contacts, I have the account setup and can clearly see my google account.When I select it, I see all the options to sync. i.e Sync App Data, Sync Calendar, Sync Contacts etc... Each have a timestamp when the sync happened.

For my S.Planner, the calendar I have is called My calendars - I suppose this is default.I see the gmail account listed as well.

Logging into gmail, shows none of my phone contacts or calendar events.

[skybolt]

... I have a gmail account, setup the phone with the gmail account, press sync - sync happens. Log into gmail, no contact updates or calendar updates - even though the phone said it was successful.

Robert

I think when you created your contacts you are creating them to be on the phone only, which will not sync with GMail. When you're in the contact the second line is "connection" that should have an icon with a "G" in it. If not the number is being saved to your sim card only. Here the sucky part, if your in phone only mode, you have to delete the contact and start over.

Conversely, try creating a contact in the GMail interface and then sync with your phone just as a test.

[langenet]

Thanks Jeff... I guess that's it for the contacts. Too bad that I have to delete and re-add though ... I'll play with it later and see.

[bdraper]

Depending on your phone, you may not have to delete and readd manually. I had the same problem on new Android phone years ago when migrating over my contacts from a old flip phone. I had a HTC and was able to export all of my contacts to a file, delete all of my contacts, then import them from the file. It asked if I wanted them to be stored on the phone or as Google contacts.

Hope this helps.