Fix Contacts Sync Issue on Android Oreo

by Mike Blass · January 20, 2018

There are plenty of users who have complained on forums regarding an issue they’re facing on their Pixel and Nexus devices on Android Oreo. It seems that the contacts don’t sync properly and show a strange error saying that the ‘Sync is experiencing issues, and will be back shortly‘.

Things should be OK, yet the devices continue to show the error even after disabling sync and enabling it again. That’s quite strange as long as one of the most basic and convenient features of life in Google’s ecosystem is none other than contacts sync. From email to phone numbers and Google+ profiles, you know that whatever platform you are on, you are supposed to have the chance to reach out to the people you need, but if this essential feature isn’t working correctly, and contacts aren’t being synced to their Oreo-powered Android devices, things can easily turn into a frustration.

It seems like the problem arises due to the contacts that were added using Google+ profiles with links, so I bet that you are thinking of a solution. Users have indeed tried various ways to fix the issue, including the usual factory resets, removing Google+ profile links from the contacts, clearing the data/cache of the Contacts app, and others.

The solution for the specific problem is fairly simple and shall prove useful to anyone facing it.

Learn to Fix Contacts Sync Issue on Android Oreo:

Go to the app drawer and open the Settings;
Now, you have to scroll down and tap on Apps & notifications;
If you’re running Oreo 8.0, then tap on App info. In case of running on Oreo 8.1, tap on See all apps;
Now, you have to tap on the menu icon (3-dots) on the App info window;
Then, you have to select Show system;
Scroll down through the apps and select Contact Storage;
In the app window, select Storage and then press the CLEAR DATA button to fix Contacts Sync issue;
Tap on OK to confirm your action.

That’s all that you have to do! This will fix the contacts not showing up problem on your Pixel or Nexus device. Let me know if this solved the issue for you!