How do I sync contacts on Ubuntu Touch?

Question

How do I sync (upload to/download from) my contacts, with my Ubuntu Touch OS?

Solution 1

Ubuntu Touch has EDS (Evolution-data-server) installed. So you can sync it using syncevolution.

First install latest stable version from repo:

For =>14.04

sudo apt-get install syncevolution syncevolution-provider-uoa

For <=13.10

sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://downloads.syncevolution.org/apt stable main"
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install syncevolution-evolution

If you are using Google-Contacts, then export all contacts as vcf (i.e allcontacts.vcf) & then import it using following command at terminal (Change the path & database accordingly):

syncevolution --import /path/to/file/allcontacts.vcf backend=evolution-contacts database=Personal

To know the names of all available databases type:

syncevolution --print-databases

For more info visit:

• SyncEvolution - Community Help Wiki

• SyncEvolution

---

NOTE :

If vcard file (contacts.vcf) doesn't have new line space after END:VCARD, syncevolution might fail to import all the contacts.

Solution 2

Here is a simpler and more up-to-date answer for Ubuntu Touch 14.09/14.10.

Even if it is easier that it used to be (no need to be root, no need to use the developer mode...) an app that automates this would be appreciated.

Import

• Copy your contacts (as one or multiple .vcf, other formats might work too) to your device. Let's say that you put them in a "Documents/contacts" folder.
• Via the terminal app or via adb/ssh, run the following command:

syncevolution --import /home/phablet/Documents/contacts/your.vcf backend=evolution-contacts

And that's it!

SyncEvolution does not seem to support globbing, so if you have a lot of vcf files you can use a command like this one to import all vcf from the folder at once:

find /home/phablet/Documents/contacts -name *.vcf -exec syncevolution --import {} backend=evolution-contacts \;

Export

To create a "allmycontacts.vcf" files into the "Documents" folder, just run the following command via the terminal app or via adb/ssh:

syncevolution --export /home/phablet/Documents/allmycontacts.vcf backend=evolution-contacts

Solution 3

It is possible to sync your Official Aquaris Ubuntu Edition with e.g. Owncloud using CardDAV. This is what I did (see wiki.ubuntuusers.de for source):

1. First I added the certificate of my site to the folder /usr/share/ca-certificates and updates the ca-cert database, since it is self-signed:

   sudo mount /dev/loop0 / -o remount,rw
   sudo cp /home/phablet/Downloads/server.crt /usr/share/ca-certificates
   

   Add a star to the new certificate while running the configuration

   sudo dpkg-reconfigure ca-certificates
   

2. Add the syncevolution configuration:

   syncevolution --keyring=no --configure --template webdav username=<USERNAME> password=<PASSWORD> syncurl="in-its.de/owncloud" target-config@owncloud
   syncevolution --configure --template SyncEvolution_Client sync=none syncURL=local://@owncloud username= password= peerIsClient=1 owncloud
   syncevolution --configure database=https://<SERVER>/owncloud/remote.php/carddav/addressbooks/<USERNAME>/contacts backend=carddav target-config@owncloud contacts
   syncevolution --configure sync=two-way backend=contacts database="Persönlich" owncloud contacts
   

3. Run sync:

   syncevolution --sync slow owncloud contacts
   

That made all my Owncloud contacts available on my Ubuntu Phone.

And CalDAV works similar:

syncevolution --configure database=https://<SERVER>/owncloud/remote.php/caldav/calendars/<USERNAME>/personal backend=caldav target-config@owncloud calendar
syncevolution --configure sync=two-way backend=events database="Persönlich" owncloud calendar

And then sync it:

syncevolution --sync slow owncloud calendar

So CalDAV and CardDAV are working!

Comments

[TomDogg]

For those looking to export their contacts from an iPhone / iTunes to a .csv file: trickyways.com/2010/06/how-to-export-iphone-contacts-windows‌​-xp

[Ibuntu]

I got the repository added okay but I get the following error while updating: W: GPG error: downloads.syncevolution.org stable Release: The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY AE24B1375E4ABB95 I can't seem to get syncevolution installed for some reason

[Khurshid Alam]

@Ibuntu Which version of Ubuntu are you using? For Ubuntu >=14.04, that ppa is NOT required. You can install syncevolution from repo.sudo apt get install syncevolution syncevolution-provider-uoa

[Khurshid Alam]

@Ibuntu What is your ubuntu touch version on the phone? You should first install syncevolution on phone & copy the vcf file to the phone & then run these commands from terminal on phone. Just provide the right path of copied vcf file. I am currently documenting direct sync between Google contacts & phone via carddav using syncevolution. This method doesn't require manual copying of vcf file.

[Khurshid Alam]

Even though touch images are very different from deskop iso , it does sync with desktop-repo version (& included softwares). For example vivid-preinstalled-system-armel+flo.img will get binaries from vivid repo on Nexux 7 when you run sudo apt-get install on phone.

[Khurshid Alam]

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

[Anish]

This worked for me, and I avoided using developer mode - thanks. Though I seemed to only get a partial import from an Android export until I split the .vcf file out into individual 1-contact files with a script and then ran syncevolution in a loop. In between attempts I could delete the failed import from the Contacts app (long hold on a contact, check all using the check all button near the top right, and then delete all from the menu on the top right). Hopefully this will help someone else.

[P. Conant]

Yeah, did this too, only via Dropbox.

[Christopher B. Adkins]

If you use a folder name instead of a VCF file syncevolution will import all files in that folder. You dont need to use find`.