14 DAY TRIAL // Google is now supporting the CardDAV protocol used by Apple in OS X and iOS for contact syncing, which means that your Google Contacts will now sync directly.
Jeff Ellingson, product manager blogs for Google, “For many years, we've supported two open protocols for accessing Gmail and Calendar from mobile apps and devices: IMAP for email and CalDAV for calendar.”
“These protocols, combined with the options to access Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts with your desktop or mobile browser and via native apps on iOS and Android, help ensure you have a great experience regardless of the device you use.”
Which is why, starting now, Google is adding a new, open protocol for contacts to that list – CardDAV.
Thanks to the newly-added support, your iOS Contacts app will now be able to sync your Google contacts.
And since IMAP, CalDAV, and CardDAV are now supported together, third parties can now build a seamless Google Account sync experience, according to Ellingson.
Google offers a set of instructions to sync your Google Contacts on iOS using CardDAV.
1. Open the Settings application on your device. 2. Select Mail, Contacts, Calendars. 3. Select Add Account... 4. Select Other 5. Select Add CardDAV Account 6. Fill out your account information in the following fields: - Server: Enter "google.com" - User Name: Enter your full Google Account or Google Apps email address. - Password: Your Google Account or Google Apps password. (If you’ve enabled 2 Step verification, you’ll need to generate and enter an application specific password.) - Description: Enter a description of the account (e.g. Personal Contacts). 7. Select Next at the top of your screen. 8. Make sure that the "Contacts" option is turned to ON.
Google says that after you've completed setup, syncing will automatically begin as soon as you open the Contacts app on your device.
To take advantage of these changes, you’ll need iOS 5 or higher.