Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

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Skynet
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by Skynet »

Google Contacts app: 3.52.1.390944461
Google phone app: 69.0.392727699-downloadable
Google messages app: 9.3.022 (Camelot_RC02.phone_dynamic)

Best regards
Skynet
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by Skynet »

So a little update on this one. The last time I uninstalled EssentialPIM, installed it again, went through the EPIM system account and made sure the proper permissions was set, I also made a single contact to see if that contact showed in the contacts app.

Today I saw a detail I haven't noticed before.

The google contacts app (the default contacts app on the phone) is empty. No contacts here.
The google SMS and phone app shows only numbers and no contact info.
BUT ... if I for instance in the SMS app search for that single contact I created within EssentialPIM earlier, it shows in the search field with name, but if I click on it, I will get into my ongoing SMS-thread with my single contact, and still without the contact name showing of course.

I have no idea where this fails, but at least we know have some new information that we didn't have before.
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by admin »

Thanks for the update.
Android version of EssentialPIM. Keep all your data in sync!
Skynet
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by Skynet »

Hi again!

Is it anything I can contribute with, to troubleshot this issue further?

Today I have updated EPIM to versjon 5.8.7

Other relevant information:
One UI version: 3.1
Android Version: 11
Kernel Version: 4.19.87-22307792
Build number: RP1A.200720.012.G980FXXSADUH5
SE for Android Status: Enforcing - SEPF_SM-G980F_11_0010
Knox version: 3.7
Knox API Level 33
Android Security patch Level: September 1, 2021

I still only see numbers for phone calls or SMS threads in the Google SMS and Phone app.

Strange enough though, I am able to search contacts from within the Google SMS app, and when I choose a contact from my search hit, I will go directly into an SMS thread with that contact, which again ... still only shows the contacts phone number. When I try to search for the same contact in the Google phone app, I will not get any hits at all. This contact is NOT defined in the default contacts app on the phone. It exists only in the EPIM App itself. In the google contacts app, the EPIM System Account is added under accounts.
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by admin »

The issue appears to happen only on certain Samsung devices with certain firmware versions (as our test Samsung devices running Android 11 work as they should). We double checked the EPIM's code and couldn't find anything wrong related to the account functioning. So at the moment we aren't really sure whether that's something with Samsung's firmware that needs fixing or anything else.. Will keep on looking, though.
Android version of EssentialPIM. Keep all your data in sync!
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by geistLich »

@Skynet:
Do you have a workaround you prefer while we have this problem? Do you use a syncronisation to a 3rd-party you can recommend to me?
For me it seems that I need to use a 3rd-party cloud-hoster to get this issue for a litte time solved.
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by Skynet »

@geistLich: Hi! For the time being I have not implemented any workaround to this issue, but I hope it is possible to solve it in the near future. The nearest "fix" for this is as you say to use a third party to synch contacts from. I suspect maybe this issue is related to Samsung Knox or something in the Samsung specific security sphere. They have changed something in their software platform, since the problem appeared right after a phone software update. I don't know. What do you use yourself? Synch contacts via Google?
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by geistLich »

@Skynet:
At the moment I'm really disappointed about EPIM. I just want that everything works and don't want to make error-searching in my freetime. I can understand, that EPIM does not have a samsung device to test our issue out, but that shows me that I cannot rely on EPIM to get everything working. I am now forced to use an other solution to get my calender and contacts synced between multiple PCs and mobile phones.

I just started to sync everything to Google. A few years back I started with EPIM so I don't need to use a big cloud-hoster and can completely rely on this company. But now I cannot wait till day x when my phone contacts are working again. It may be fixed in a few days, but maybe it will last for months. This situation is frustrating since I cannot wait till it is fixed, I just want to use my mobile the normal way. So I need to get off from EPIM Android. Need to sync everything from EPIM to Google. Then I can use the Google-Sync and some other contacts and calender apps on my mobile. I'm sure that the solutions of google will work :-(

Still hoping that EPIM will fix it, but at the moment I must use other applications apart from EPIM.
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by Skynet »

@geistLich: I've been around since EPIM version 3.54, so that has been a few years. It is easier to make software for Windows, or even for IOS, than it is for Android. Android is a fragmented environment, where you have a bunch of different hardware, different Android versions, and even a bunch of software different phone vendors choose to incorporate with Android or put on top of it. In sum, you can't really expect an app to run the same way on every Android Phone.

I am not sure why this is not working with the Samsung phone, or what type of change Samsung made in that firmware upgrade. I am using EPIM on a stock Android phone as well, and there it is working perfectly. Unfortunately the Samsung phone is forced on me from my work place, and unfortunately that is also the phone where I am doing most of my calls and text messages, so I am pretty much stuck with it for the time being.

@EPIM: As I said before, I would gladly help you guys to extract debug information if that can help you solve this puzzle for us. I understand you have limited resources and time, but give me a hint, if that is an option. Samsung is a pretty big phone vendor, so I am sure it will help other customers as well.
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by admin »

Skynet, the problem here is that it certainly doesn't affect all the Samsung devices as we weren't able to reproduce it on our Samsung phones so far. Nor there has been many similar reports about the issue. So we're keep looking at possible solutions, although since the problem is not reproducible for us that's more like a hit and miss thing currently, unfortunately.
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Re: Problem with EPIM-user on Android and the connection between EPIM mobileapp and Android phone app

Post by Skynet »

@epim: No, I didn't claim it affected all Samsung models either ... just the Samsung S20 specifically. For that specific model this has been an ongoing issue since this support case was first reported.

@epim / @geistLich: It seems like a recent software update from Samsung possibly has fixed this issue in the recent days. Now, I get my EPIM contacts up in the Android Contact app again, and it also maps the contact names to SMS threads and the list of recent phone calls in the phone app. That is ... I can now see who has called me, or who I have called myself, that is ... if they were known contacts in the first place.

The software updates came as two different installations, so now I am running Android 12, with security patch level january 1st 2022. Knox version 3.8, Knox API level 35, Knox ML 1,2, DualDAR 1.4.0 and kernel version 4.19.87-23180807. I have not done anything regarding the epim configuration on my phone. I have just installed recent Android updates when they were released from the phone vendor (Samsung).

Hopefully that is also the experience of @geistLich and other users that struggled with the same issue on Samsung S20 phones.
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