I use Cardhop and I find it pleasant to use. I couldn’t live without the menubar app - which is my preferred way to access contacts, and the interface is so much better for managing contacts.
I agree completely, the Contacts app is awful!
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Seems they will transmit multiple ways. I had them automatically start showing on a couple of my favorited contacts before we next interacted, because the phone app will display the poster on a favorite if it’s available. If they call you, you have it.
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Because with the exception of Contacts, and Safari on mobile, we don’t have to use Apple’s apps?
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Not yet. But there are rumors.
I took BusyContacts for a spin and it was slow. I thought contact groups would be especially useful but every time I switched the view, it went through the synchronization process again and I would have to wait forever.
Wondering if the app is snappy for you or anyone else. I really want BusyContacts to work for me.
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Busy Contacts is snappy for me. I’ve used it for years, have about 4000 contacts, use the groups all the time to manage my own email lists.
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Because they make really good hardware and I can rip out the Apple junk and replace it with apps I love.
I do not use ANY of those Apple apps except contacts. I also hate contacts.
Current trial test is to continue using it but tied to Obsidian as a mini CRM. All the useful real stuff lives in my Farley file entry in Obsidian. I just have the phone numbers in Contacts.
However, I may be limited in Apple hardware in future. Most of my old gear has a multi year extended life as a Linux box but there still isn’t a good port of any flavor of Linux that works reliably on Apple silicon.
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This! When I first bought Apple, I used everything Apple. When they threw iWork under the bus Apple software took a dive. With my first mac I saw a beachball once a year, now once a day. Apart from apps that are difficult to replace I use no stock apps whatsoever. With Studio Creator, I’ve totally removed Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Replaced them with MS Office 
. I’m actually slowly migrating to cross-platform apps in case I need ditch Apple.
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Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I’m going to try both Busy Contacts and CardHop to see which I like best. Thanks again, much appreciated!
Good catch Katie. I must have had one too many green beers yesterday.
I’ve opted for fantastical and cardhop. I like fantastical’s openings. Most of my communication is with Whatsapp and Busycontacts doesn’t pull that info through. I also prefer flexibit’s UI
There was a nice app that got some media buzz years ago. Forgot the name but this seems to be the one I remember:
Cloze
Apple has lost many of my contacts over the years (I now make yearly backups). Other data also just seem to disappear (eg, text replacements – can’t these back up).
After this and other things Apple has done, I’ve been exploring what could I switch to if I wanted (not Windows, not Android). Linux? The phones and tablets, like these from Brax are hard to find and untested. Linux doesn’t seem like it “just works.” When I used it 15 years ago, it required a LOT of tinkering.
Apple has never lost any contacts because I don’t keep my contacts on my Apple devices. The Contacts app logs into my Google Workspace account and displays what is on the server. And the server is regularly backed up.
Android is built on Linux, and Google is working on a new OS which will combine Android and ChromeOS into Aluminium OS. Which might be successful some day.
But right now the mobile world runs on Apple and Android. And if I switched, my hardware choices would be Google or Samsung.
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It still doesn’t “just work” my son wants to build a Gaming PC and I do not want to go Windows for it so i’m looking at Distros and even supposedly easy install OS come with a lof of Wiki reading. I’m willing to slog through it though and get’r done because Windows Promotion err …11 is no longer a peaceful environment.
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A predecessor may be Ancient Rome’s nomenclator, “a slave who attended his master during canvassing and on similar occasions, for the purpose of telling him the names of those he met in the street.”
“nomenclator” - it even means in English what it says in Latin; fun.
I wonder if my NotePlan Daily Notes could be considered a Farley file; whenever I meet a client, I write down everything I did for them in that DN entry. Search for the client creates a virtual farley file, no?
I’ve started, again, to try BusyContacts (Setapp). I just found if I right click on the address category “home”, for instance, I can copy the address for my accounting program when I create an invoice. I just deleted Cisdem ContactsMate.
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Yup. I got so frustrated with Apple Contacts on my Mac I threw up my hands and started using Google Contacts in my browser. I still use the Contacts app on my iOS devices, but all the data comes from my Google accounts. I use Google’s Mail and Calendar apps on my phone, and I wish there were an equivalent for contacts.
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+1
The Gmail iOS app lets me send email using group labels so I only use iOS Contacts for phone numbers and addresses. I stay logged into Google Workspace in Chrome on my iPad so I can manage Contacts full screen in a tab if needed.
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I always read your many posts, which are always helpful. I’ve noticed that you frequently use Google services and products, yet you’re clearly a Mac enthusiast. I’m curious. If you don’t mind me asking, why do you use Google services so extensively? What are the benefits you see? I ask because I have a paid Google account, mainly for extra storage, but I don’t use it much. I’m interested in your perspective on the benefits of Google compared to other options.