https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=505329
Bug ID: 505329
Summary: Google Contacts editing unsafe in Kontact 25.04.2 —
long-standing data loss risk, needs fail-safe priority
Classification: Applications
Product: kdepim
Version First 6.4.2
Reported In:
Platform: Other
OS: Linux
Status: REPORTED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: general
Assignee: kdepim-b...@kde.org
Reporter: jshand2...@gmail.com
Target Milestone: ---
## Description
I am reporting that **editing Google Contacts** via Kontact PIM Groupware
25.04.2 and KAddressBook is still **unsafe and unreliable**, risking **data
loss**, and this needs to be treated as a **fail-safe priority issue**, not an
incremental feature.
This class of bug has existed for *years* (see bugs
[#342789](https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=342789),
[#424780](https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=424780),
[#462523](https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=462523),
[#470372](https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=470372)), and despite ongoing
work, the problem remains today.
## Environment
- **KDE Gear version:** 25.04.2
- **Kontact/KAddressBook:** 25.04.2
- **akonadi_google_resource:** latest version included in 25.04.2
- **Google Account:** used for email, calendar, contacts
- **Distro:** [your distro here — e.g. OpenSUSE Tumbleweed]
- **Akonadi:** standard config, no manual patching
- **Network:** direct Google API access, no proxy
## Steps to reproduce
1. Sync Google Contacts into Kontact using akonadi_google_resource.
2. Edit an existing contact in KAddressBook.
3. Save the contact.
4. Trigger resource sync or restart Kontact.
5. Observe that:
- Changes sometimes do not persist.
- Some fields (phone types, IMs, categories, custom fields) may be lost or
corrupted.
- No error is reported to the user.
- Data integrity is silently compromised.
## Expected behavior
- Editing a contact must be **fail-safe**:
- Changes must persist reliably, round-trip tested.
- If edit cannot be safely mapped → warn the user or block the edit.
- No silent corruption.
- Full support for **vCard 4.0** and **Google People API mappings** must be
implemented.
## Actual behavior
- Edits frequently fail to persist or corrupt fields.
- No user notification is given.
- Round-trip validation is missing.
- The situation is not safe for business-critical use of Google Contacts.
## Why this matters
- Contacts are **critical user data** shared across devices.
- Current behavior can result in **data loss**, which is unacceptable.
- This issue has existed across **multiple KDE PIM versions**.
- Google’s APIs have changed (People API, vCard 4.0), but
akonadi_google_resource and ContactEditor are not yet fully adapted.
- It is time for this to be treated as a **core reliability issue**, not an
incremental feature.
## Related work / references
### Bugs
- [#342789](https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=342789)
- [#424780](https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=424780)
- [#462523](https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=462523)
- [#470372](https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=470372)
- [#480938](https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=480938) (tracking bug — please
link this report to it)
### Work in progress
- [akonadi_google_resource merge
requests](https://invent.kde.org/pim/kdepim-runtime/-/merge_requests?scope=all&state=opened&search=google)
- [kcontacts merge
requests](https://invent.kde.org/pim/kcontacts/-/merge_requests?scope=all&state=opened)
- [kaddressbook ContactEditor merge
requests](https://invent.kde.org/pim/kaddressbook/-/merge_requests?scope=all&state=opened)
### Developer discussions
- [KDE PIM Matrix room](https://matrix.to/#/#kontact:kde.org)
- [KDE PIM mailing list](https://mail.kde.org/pipermail/kde-pim/)
## Request
Please treat this as a **high-priority bug**:
✅ Either make Google Contacts editing fully safe and compatible with modern
API/vCard standards.
✅ Or make Google Contacts read-only until it is safe.
✅ Ensure full round-trip validation.
✅ Do not allow silent corruption of user data.
I am happy to test new versions once fixes are available.
## CC
@carl @montel @dvratil
**Thank you very much for your work — but this issue requires urgent attention
to restore user trust.**
— John Shand, **Shands Advertising**, New Zealand — business user relying on
Google Contacts daily
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