Sync my Android contact list with a Linux Mint one

[pinnerite]

The subject says it all.

TIA



--
Mint 20.3, kernel 5.4.0-121-generic, Cinnamon 5.2.7
running on an AMD Phenom II X4 Black edition processor with 16GB of DRAM.

[Andy Burnelli]

pinnerite wrote:

> The subject says it all.

I'd like to help you out as I'm a kind-hearted person, but you didn't give
many specifics so I will answer the question in general as to how I do it.
<https://i.postimg.cc/CLyK8z9v/adb20.jpg> Both vysor & scrcpy use adb

Even if you're not rooted, adb allows you to access "some" protected files,
so maybe the contacts sqlite database can be copied much as hosts can.
<https://www.thecustomdroid.com/adb-push-pull-commands/>

Try this on a PC which works for me even as my Android phone is not rooted:
adb pull /system/etc/hosts my_hosts.txt
Which reported:
/system/etc/hosts: 1 file pulled, 0 skipped. 0.0 MB/s (56 bytes in 0.027s)

However, there must be many other ways to do this as I dual boot to Linux
Windows and I mount my Android file system onto Windows over Wi-Fi as a
drive letter which makes my entire Android phone visible to both Windows
and Linux simultaneously.
<https://i.postimg.cc/BvJdKWzt/webdav06.jpg> Both sdcards mounted

That way any file you can access on Android (even many, but not all in the
root partitions), are readable to Linux & Windows over Wi-Fi (no USB is
required as of Android 11 "wireless debugging" options).
<https://i.postimg.cc/qRhkhTwV/adb21.jpg> Android Wireless-debugging tile

In addition, most mail servers usually give you specific options for
syncing contacts with other programs & platforms, but my first suggestion
would be to simply _export your Android contacts_ to a vcard (vcs) or
spreadsheet (csv) file & then import them on the linux device (& vice
versa).

I export/import my contacts all the time as I maintain them in Excel.
<https://i.postimg.cc/Hs7nDKZV/contacts02.jpg> import/export contacts

There are many Android contact managers, all of which we've discussed in
the past, which will not only export/import your Android contacts sqlite
database, but which will remove duplicates and clean them up also.
--
Posted out of the goodness of my heart to disseminate useful information.

[Andy Burnelli]

Andy Burnelli wrote:

> In addition, most mail servers usually give you specific options for
> syncing contacts with other programs & platforms, but my first suggestion
> would be to simply _export your Android contacts_ to a vcard (vcs) or
> spreadsheet (csv) file & then import them on the linux device (& vice
> versa).

I belatedly realized this in my haste to help the OP that I didn't make it
clear a whole bunch of seemingly unintuitive statements I made in the prior
post that most people, as far as I know, are wholly unaware of - but
everything I said in the prior post to help the OP I've done.

In addition, while I was writing the prior helpful post and including
necessary details, I momentarily lost track of which direction I was
"describing", but if I didn't make it clear, the process works the same in
_both_ directions, so to continue to try to be helpful, I am clarifying.
<https://i.postimg.cc/rmBHmvtV/adb18.jpg> Windows adb vysor & scrcpy

And please note while I'm using Windows screenshots, there is no difference
between the Windows and Linux filesystems in a properly configured
dual-boot configuration as _both_ filesystems are simultaneously accessible
<https://i.postimg.cc/9FJMKYch/scrcpy21.jpg> Windows Drive: === Android

Personally I do NOT maintain a contacts.db sqlite database on my Android
phone for privacy reasons, so for me, importing and exporting contacts is a
task I habitually perform a few times a year.
a. The contacts are maintained on the PC.
b. Every once in a while they're exported from the PC to Android directly.
c. And vice versa (depending on where any ad hoc changes occurred)

It needs to be repeated that the Linux and Windows file systems are
indistinguishable from each other (if the PC is properly configured)
as both operating systems easily access each others file system
simultaneously (in a properly configured dual-boot scenario).

In summary, the Android file system is easily networked to the PC over
Wi-Fi (no USB is ever required anymore), which means almost the entire
Android file system and PC file systems are simultaneously accessible to
each (whether or not it's writeable depends on whether or not you're
rooted).

Note it's unintuitive but a fact that even the Android root partition is
"mostly" visible to the PC whether that's Linux or Windows or macOS).
<https://i.postimg.cc/hjkVFyqJ/scrcpy07.jpg> Android mnt as drive letter
--
Posted out of the goodness of my heart to disseminate useful information,
all of which is based on my own experience with Windows, Linux & Android.

[Joerg Lorenz]

Am 12.07.22 um 15:57 schrieb pinnerite:

> The subject says it all.
>
> TIA

Use Google or any other CardDAV-server.
I use iCloud CardDAV with my Pixel.


--
Gutta cavat lapidem (Ovid)

[Anssi Saari]

pinnerite <pinn...@gmail.com> writes:

> The subject says it all.

Assuming you mean automatic continuous sync here without broadcasting
your contact list to everyone? If not, there are loads of services online
eager for your data. For manual copying, export/import in both ends
should work but to me that's not sync.

Long ago I used a commercial tool called Synthesis on Android, it could
sync contacts and calendars and tasksw ith Evolution databases on Linux
and more than Evolution could access those. Not Thunderbird at the time
though. I don't think this Synthesis app is still around.

For other privacy preserving solutions it gets complicated. One setup
consists of DecSync, Radicale, Radicale-Decsync plugin and Syncthing.

So, on Linux you need Radicale, which is a CalDAV & CardDAV server and
the Radicale-DecSync plugin for it. What DecSync does is store the data
in simple files that can be synced and then Radicale provides the simple
DAV interface which many apps can use.

On Android you get the same with DecSync CC.

DecSync actually depends on an external sync tool behind the scenes to
do the syncing, so Syncthing can be used for syncing directly between
devices. I've been thinking of setting this up but it isn't exactly
convenient. Android side should be easy since DecSync CC is on F-Droid
and Play Store and I already have Syncthing running. Linux (or Windows
or Mac or other Unix-like) installation is pretty manual though.

[Big Al]

On 7/12/22 11:08, this is what Joerg Lorenz wrote:
> Am 12.07.22 um 15:57 schrieb pinnerite:
>> The subject says it all.
>>
>> TIA
>
> Use Google or any other CardDAV-server.
> I use iCloud CardDAV with my Pixel.
>
>

I use cardbook add-on in Thunderbird. It syncs with Google Contacts, which of course is your contacts on the android phone.

All this assuming you're using a Google account.

[Joerg Lorenz]

Am 13.07.22 um 08:50 schrieb Big Al:

I sync all my devices with iCloud. No problem at all. Google is a no go
for me. I do it with Thunderbird on Linux and Calendar with the Macs.

[Big Al]

Too much work for Linux.

[Kris]

Wouldn’t using DAVx5 (Also on F-Droid and GooglePlay) on Android be
easier? It supports both calendar and contact sync, but connects
directly to Radicale or any other DAV server.

[Joerg Lorenz]

Am 13.07.22 um 14:01 schrieb Big Al:

10-15 minutes given you know what you do.

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

On Wed, 13 Jul 2022 at 20:01:57, Kris <kris...@mail.bg> wrote:
(my responses usually follow points raised):

> Wouldn't using DAVx5 (Also on F-Droid and GooglePlay) on Android be
> easier? It supports both calendar and contact sync, but connects
> directly to Radicale or any other DAV server.

I searched for DAV clients and servers for Android.
https://www.davx5.com/

Is this free client from bitfire web engineering GmbH the one you suggest?
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/at.bitfire.davdroid/

What do you think about Open Sync (which works with Nextcloud servers)?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.deependhulla.opensync
Open Sync is a fork of DavDroid.

The problem as I see it is you need a server on the computer for all of
them, but this one seems to say it works without adding a server.
https://f-droid.org/packages/org.decsync.cc/
But I can't yet figure out how it differs from syncthing.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nutomic.syncthingandroid

BTW I see DAVx5, WebDAV, CalDAV, CardDav and I wonder what "DAV" means.

[Lars Anders]

Is a caldav cardav server exist for Windows?

Can DecSync work on Windows or only on Linux?
https://github.com/39aldo39/DecSync

What is recommended for free use with Windows & Android ics and vcd files?

[Chris Schram]

https://syncthing.net/
https://syncthing.net/downloads/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nutomic.syncthingandroid

[Joerg Lorenz]

Am 14.07.22 um 04:10 schrieb Chris Schram:

What do you want to tell us? This is certainly not an answer to my
preceeding post.

[Anssi Saari]

Lars Anders <larsand...@glocalnet.se> writes:

> Is a caldav cardav server exist for Windows?

Mentioned Radicale, yes.

> Can DecSync work on Windows or only on Linux?
> https://github.com/39aldo39/DecSync

Windows too to my knowledge.

[Chris Schram]

On 2022-07-14, Joerg Lorenz <hugy...@gmx.ch> wrote:
> What do you want to tell us?

ownCloud
https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=ownCloud+GmbH
https://f-droid.org/packages/com.owncloud.android/
https://f-droid.org/repo/com.owncloud.android_22100100.apk

SyncThing
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nutomic.syncthingandroid
https://f-droid.org/packages/com.nutomic.syncthingandroid/
https://f-droid.org/repo/com.nutomic.syncthingandroid_4314.apk

DecSync
https://github.com/39aldo39/DecSync
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.decsync.cc
https://f-droid.org/packages/org.decsync.cc/
https://f-droid.org/repo/org.decsync.cc_35.apk

Davx5 All-in-one CalDAV/CardDAV/WebDAV solution for Android (aka DavDroid)
https://www.davx5.com/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.bitfire.davdroid
https://f-droid.org/packages/at.bitfire.davdroid/
https://f-droid.org/repo/at.bitfire.davdroid_402020000.apk

Open Sync (fork of DavDroid Davx5)
https://deependhulla.com/android-apps/opensync-app
https://github.com/deependhulla/opensync
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.deependhulla.opensync

Tasks
https://tasks.org/
https://github.com/tasks/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.tasks
https://f-droid.org/packages/org.tasks/
https://f-droid.org/repo/org.tasks_120700.apk

OpenTasks
https://opentasks.app/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.dmfs.tasks
https://f-droid.org/packages/org.dmfs.tasks/
https://f-droid.org/repo/org.dmfs.tasks_82200.apk