Look at the comments section, you're not the only one with a problem. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/thunderbird/addon/google-contacts/reviews/

I guess everyone has to wait until the author updates the extension. Hopefully soon.

Sounds like I'm in good company. Might be better to disable it until there is a fix.

By the way, my other machine running Linux Mint does not seem to be affected.

Rhythmjunky said

By the way, my other machine running Linux Mint does not seem to be affected.

Are you absolutely sure? It seems pretty impossible that Google changed its protocol in such a way that one and the same add-on does not work one version of Thunderbird yet it does work on another (i.e. your Mint machine).

On said Linux Mint PC have you tried to add a new (test) contact in Thunderbird and check in Google Contacts if it exists and vice versa? Because one can sill read the "old" contacts that were synched before "black Wednesday" (27-5-2015). However, no changes are synched anymore since black Wednesday.

I'm not sure if it still has the plugin. Thunderbird came with Mint and the OS was installed about a month ago. Just wanted to get more exposure to stuff other than Windows because I really don't like Windows 8/8.1 and I don't know how Windows 10 is going to go. I'm coming to find that I don't have a reason not to use Mint exclusively.

Rhythmjunky said

I'm not sure if it still has the plugin. Thunderbird came with Mint and the OS was installed about a month ago. Just wanted to get more exposure to stuff other than Windows because I really don't like Windows 8/8.1 and I don't know how Windows 10 is going to go. I'm coming to find that I don't have a reason not to use Mint exclusively.

Without the plugin you can not edit your Google Contacts in T.Bird. Maybe your G. Contacts were imported or something.

Anyway, it doesn't seem like the add on is under active development at the moment. The developers own bug tracker and the ticket about this problem is here: http://hogi.sakura.ne.jp/hiki/?Ticket-282

Lets all pray H. Ogi notices that his well used add on needs updating.

I can confirm that Thunderbird as packaged with Linux Mint 17.1 does not include this add on. I did have to export my address book contacts from Windows and import them to Mint when I first set it up.

I can also confirm that new installations of Thunderbird do not have the google contacts plugin. I completely uninstalled Thunderbird and started from scratch. If you run into trouble and want to do this here's how.

First export your address book (I saved it to my desktop) then uninstall (Start menu>Control Panel>Programs and features in Win7).

Next Go to your C drive and click the Users folder, select your user account Click on the Appdata folder and then click the roaming folder. Delete the Thunderbird roaming folder then re-install Thunderbird. If you just uninstall the program you won't be able to really start all over since all your Appdata Roaming info is still there.

After you've set up your account you can import your address book and all should be well.

Rhythmjunky said

I can also confirm that new installations of Thunderbird do not have the google contacts plugin. I completely uninstalled Thunderbird and started from scratch. If you run into trouble and want to do this here's how. First export your address book (I saved it to my desktop) then uninstall (Start menu>Control Panel>Programs and features in Win7). Next Go to your C drive and click the Users folder, select your user account Click on the Appdata folder and then click the roaming folder. Delete the Thunderbird roaming folder then re-install Thunderbird. If you just uninstall the program you won't be able to really start all over since all your Appdata Roaming info is still there. After you've set up your account you can import your address book and all should be well.

This does not solve the fact that the 'Google 'Contacts' plugin does not work anymore w/ the new Oauth password restriction from Google since black Wednesday.

Currently I use the 'gContactSync' add on, which does work w/ Ouath. However, you have to synchronize your contacts then. You're not accessing G. Contacts directly like w/ the 'G. Contacts' add on.

The add-on has not had any real work done on it since 2013. Hence it's compatibility was but bumped for TB31 it is still technically only for TB24.

The author does have it in his bug system http://hogi.sakura.ne.jp/hiki/?Ticket-283 but I see no activity since some time last year for the user h.ogi

This add-on says it works to version 42, a fairly ambitious claim a a version 42 build is yet to be created, but perhaps he is just sick of releasing updates. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/gcontactsync/

However, you have to synchronize your contacts then. You're not accessing G. Contacts directly like w/ the 'G. Contacts' add on.

I don't think so! To quote from the add-ons page "Cards in the address books are synchronized with Google contacts;" So both synchronize.

It is my intention to close this thread for the following reasons.

• Add-ons are not supported on this site. That is for individual add-on authors to do.
• A viable alternative exists and all of the parties here are aware of the gcontacts sync add-on.
• Further discussion will not make any difference going forward.

I'd like to keep this thread open for discussion just a little while longer. Why?

1. This add on used to make it possible to edit G. Contact directly on Google's server without having to manually activate a synchronizing process. That made sure that you didn't have to remember to synchronize.
2. There are quite a few places where people appear to ask questions about this much used add on. This place seems the only one where they are actually answered. I think it would be very "user/customer friendly" of Mozilla/Thunderbird to keep this thread open just a little longer to mention it if there is a real solution. So we don't have to be Sherlock Holmes' to find a solution if there is one.
3. It would be a missed opportunity if there comes an add-on developer along who makes an updated/new version of the G. Contacts add-on and it is not mentioned in this thread.

I agree, however, that this might not be the proper place to look for - or discuss - add ons. But people do really miss this add on and I think users will switch to or stick with T.bird if they see that the developers community is broadminded enough to understand that certain add-ons are so much used (and essential for some) that an exception is made on this support site for a short while to wait for a real solution instead of the workaround which is gContactSync.

I only just now became aware of the gcontactsync plugin. I don't see any reason to keep this particular thread open since it is unlikely there will be any really helpful new information. Perhaps the Thunderbird development team can work on having native support of some of the most popular email platforms that will address these types of issues on the fly, without the need for additional plugins that can become outdated. Let the Thunderbird development team know if this is something you would like and maybe they'll listen if there's enough noise.

Rhythmjunky said

I only just now became aware of the gcontactsync plugin. I don't see any reason to keep this particular thread open since it is unlikely there will be any really helpful new information. Perhaps the Thunderbird development team can work on having native support of some of the most popular email platforms that will address these types of issues on the fly, without the need for additional plugins that can become outdated. Let the Thunderbird development team know if this is something you would like and maybe they'll listen if there's enough noise.

Couldn't agree with you more. If the gContactsSync add-on dev stops too then we G. Mail users are fubar. I cannot be that the T.bird devs do not want their "baby" to be as widely used as humanly possible. Some professional companies even promote using T.bird for their service (https://www.fastmail.com/help/clients/applist.html). There are not many good alternatives for MS Outlook around, T.bird needs to bee as good as possible.

Just when I said there was nothing new to add Here I am adding something.

You can use the SoGO connector add-on to sync Google contact according to this site http://www.ghacks.net/2012/12/15/sync-google-contacts-with-thunderbird-using-carddav/

Let me know how is goes.

SoGO connector didn't work for me. And there are some more recent reports saying the Google CardDAV implementation is dodgy. http://evertpot.com/google-carddav-issues/

I did try the gContactSync add-on though, and it looks pretty solid to me. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/gcontactsync/

It supports OAuth2.0 authentication, and did download the contacts and lists from the Google server without a hitch. Syncing contacts back to the Google server feels more robust than with the Google Contacts add-on.

If you want to give it a try make sure to read the documentation before.

christ1 said

SoGO connector didn't work for me. And there are some more recent reports saying the Google CardDAV implementation is dodgy. http://evertpot.com/google-carddav-issues/ I did try the gContactSync add-on though, and it looks pretty solid to me. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/gcontactsync/ It supports OAuth2.0 authentication, and did download the contacts and lists from the Google server without a hitch. Syncing contacts back to the Google server feels more robust than with the Google Contacts add-on. If you want to give it a try make sure to read the documentation before.

1. gContactSync has an issue w/ contacts who do not have an email address. Can't remember the G. Contacs add-on having issues and quirks though. That this add-on is no longer working nor supported is a big step back as far as I'm concerned.

2. I've been considering switching to CardDAV for my contacts for a while now. I like the fact that it's an open standard which frees you from quirks from the Googles, Microsofts and Apples in this world. But I don't know how to configure my Android phone for that (yet).

MeneerJansen said

I'd like to keep this thread open for discussion just a little while longer. Why?

1. This add on used to make it possible to edit G. Contact directly on Google's server without having to manually activate a synchronizing process. That made sure that you didn't have to remember to synchronize.

That is not changed. Both synchronize and both do it automatically. I do not know where you got the idea that your were interacting directly with Gmail servers. But you were not.

1. There are quite a few places where people appear to ask questions about this much used add on. This place seems the only one where they are actually answered. I think it would be very "user/customer friendly" of Mozilla/Thunderbird to keep this thread open just a little longer to mention it if there is a real solution. So we don't have to be Sherlock Holmes' to find a solution if there is one.

Open threads on this forum are nor indexed by Google and other search engines. Only "solved" ones. So leaving the thread unsolved is actually making finding it harder not easier.

1. It would be a missed opportunity if there comes an add-on developer along who makes an updated/new version of the G. Contacts add-on and it is not mentioned in this thread.

Add-on developers updating or cloning the add-on is unlikely to be mentions here. I would not even locate the thread unless someone kept posting things to it.

I agree, however, that this might not be the proper place to look for - or discuss - add ons. But people do really miss this add on and I think users will switch to or stick with T.bird if they see that the developers community is broadminded enough to understand that certain add-ons are so much used (and essential for some) that an exception is made on this support site for a short while to wait for a real solution instead of the workaround which is gContactSync.

Your waiting of what exactly. There is no bug to integrate Google contact sync into Thunderbird. Although your welcome to file one here. The add-on developer may or may not fix the add-on, waiting will not change that. The real solution was Zindus, but the developer gave up because everyone used Google contact sync. His offering was technically superior but because it did not have Google in the name was passed over by people. Another example of a superior technology being passed over by consumers. (anyone remember betamax)

Matt said

1. This add on used to make it possible to edit G. Contact directly on Google's server without having to manually activate a synchronizing process. That made sure that you didn't have to remember to synchronize.

That is not changed. Both synchronize and both do it automatically. I do not know where you got the idea that your were interacting directly with Gmail servers. But you were not.

I distictly remember not having to choose "Sync" from a menu using the G. Contacts add-on. Maybe I'm mistaken and the G. Contacts add-on did actually sync automatically but I switched from T.birds native contacts to G. Contacts because I tested its use. I made a new entry in T.bird in the G. Contacts part (there was also a T.bird native contacts part called 'Personal Address Book' and a separate G. Contacts part). After making a new contact in T.bird it immediately appeared in my addressbook in Google.

Matt said

I agree, however, that this might not be the proper place to look for - or discuss - add ons. But people do really miss this add on and I think users will switch to or stick with T.bird if they see that the developers community is broadminded enough to understand that certain add-ons are so much used (and essential for some) that an exception is made on this support site for a short while to wait for a real solution instead of the workaround which is gContactSync.

Your waiting of what exactly. There is no bug to integrate Google contact sync into Thunderbird. Although your welcome to file one here. The add-on developer may or may not fix the add-on, waiting will not change that. The real solution was Zindus, but the developer gave up because everyone used Google contact sync. His offering was technically superior but because it did not have Google in the name was passed over by people. Another example of a superior technology being passed over by consumers. (anyone remember betamax)

Well, waiting for info like that for instance. That is, the info that there actually is attention for Google's Contacts among the developers of add-ons and that T.bird devs know about that. That assures me a lot and I think it assures a lot of other people.

Anyway, to close this dispute:

Dear people,

Matt is pushing me to close this topic. I'll give it a day or so and then I will. Last chance to say something about the topic. Maybe to emphasize how important it is to y'all for a popular mail client like Thunderbird to support, or keep an open mind to, one of the most popular address books: Google Contacts.

Best regards,

Jansen :)

I switched to gContactSync because this add-on isn't supported/developed anymore. Will look into switching to CalDAV and CardDAV to loosen myself from Google's grip.