Backup assistant entry duplication

The Backup Assistant app appears to be psychotic. Regardless of the type of phone (this has happened on three different ones), backing up keeps duplicating the whole Contact list! What good is a database manager (what BA is) if it cannot recognize when two instances of an item are the same? I cannot spend my time deleting 4, 5, and 6 copies of the same contact from online. If I try, it just keeps duplicating them. I have found no solution for this bug, nor any comments about it happening to others.

I want to help ensure you get the most out of Backup Assistant Skirbanr! I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties. What make and model is your current device? Backup Assistant is designed to backup your entire contact list. When new entries are added, it will back them up; however, it will also continue to backup the existing entries. Are you only seeing the duplication online? Have you tried just using the app on the phone itself to add new entries and completing the backup? Are the contacts duplicated on the phone as well?
JonathanK_VZW
VZW Support
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Contacts with Multiple Backup Assistant + Contacts Entries

I have read others with these same issues. Unfortunately, the responses they are getting have to do with having multiple contacts and joining those contacts. That is not the issue. The issue is that each contact has MULTIPLE Backup Assistant + Contact entries. Meaning, when you you start typing a name to send a text message to, it shows you multiple phone numbers for that person (only, they are all the same phone number). For example, if I start typing Zoe, it will show you contacts that match, it will have Zoe 555-555-5555 listed 6, 7, 8, or more times. But wait, that is the home number, how you keep scrolling them until you get to the mobile number which is also listed 6, 7, 8 or more times. When you go into you contacts and select Zoe, and then go to Edit, you see why - There are 6, 7, 8 or more Backup Assistant + Contacts entries!!! These duplicates are what we are wanting to know how to remove. My daughter has only one phone number, but when I click on the her picture in the favorite contacts widget, it shows 2 and they are both the same. Even the BAL #225 shows up EIGHT times!!!!! When you go online (to the Backup Assistant), they are all listed there too. HELP!!!!!!!

I have no prblem syncing multiple mobile numbers so I don't think it's a universal issue with iOS. The only difference I see is I am using CardDav instead of using the Exchange option. Have you tried it that way? You can urn off contacts in the Exchange account and add the CardDav account separately.

Backup Assistant says "No New Data" even when new entries made in my Droid X

I have my Droid X set up for a nightly backup. Every night it runs & then says "No New Data". I have intentionally added new contacts to my phone contact list to see if it is backed up & it is not. Does anyone have any idea what I am missing here? How is this a backup if it doesn't find & store the new information?

1. Log into Verizon Backup Assistant
2. Click on Export to CSV
3. Save File as (or Rename to) Contacts (it should already be converted to CSV so including .csv is redundant)
4. Log into Gmail/Google Voice
5. Click on Contacts
6. Click on Import
7. Browse for the Contacts (.csv) file
8. Click Import
9. Disable BA by going to Settings / Applications . Manage Applications / All Tab / Sync Service / Clear All
All contacts on your device should sync to Google if they are not in the BA backup... Now I do say should because no software is perfect.

Re: Possible to download VZ backup assistant data to Storm

I just got the Blackberry Pearl 8239 flip, and had to find a way to get my messages off of a LG phone with Backup Asst. (I have Verizon). After a lot of research and some mistakes, was able to successfully (more or less) get my info into my phone without having to retype it all. It's not perfect or super fast, but it is easier than manual typing if you have 100+ contacts. Here's what I did:
1. Hopefully you already had Backup assistant, and had your contacts backed up recently.
2. Go to Backup assistant on your computer and click on the "print" icon.
3. Highlight all of your contacts (not the headers), and copy them (cntrl c or the Copy tabon your pull down menu)
4. Open up Excel. (I actually used Open Office Calc--same thing, but Open Source.)
5. Paste your contacts.
6. Clean them up. You may see, as I did, the words "email, work, mobile, etc all over the place. You do not want them there. You amy also see that several numbers are in one column. You want separate columns for each type of information (mobile #, home # etc.) This is also a good time to get rid of numbers for people you really don't need any more. One mistake I made was to keep the first and last names in the same column, so i was unable to separate these at import (well I cold have redone it all, but it was a long day!) I recommend taking the time during this step or you will be editing all of your contacts later as I am!
7. Save file under any name, but with a .csv extension. Ignore any warnings you might get because of changing the extension. If you are worried, save it twice, once under the xml and once under csv.
8. Open Microsoft Outlook. Open File>Import>Other Address Book. Highlight the "Text file, Comma Separated Values" When the window opens, click browse and find your .csv file.
9. Microsoft Outlook will ask you questions about various fields, based on your first contact entry. You need to correctly assign fields for last name, first name, etc.Click Finish. You might want to check out your address book inOutlook just to be sure it's all therethe way you want it--It's easier to delete your address book here and start over than delete all your contacts once they are in your phone.
10. Open the Blackberry Desktop Manager and be sure your phone is connected to it. From the Main Menu, click Synchronize>Syncronization (under Configure).
11.Click on the Synchronization button and check "Address Book," and then click setup. You will be give several options of programs to synchronize with. Choose Outlook (obviously.) The Desktop Manager will download the files, check with you to make sure you really want them and presto (sort of) you are done!
I hope this helps! It really was much simpler than manual typing! Good luck!

tomkaz79 wrote:
hi,
i have a blackberry storm and i went to open the backup assistant program and every time it asks me to enter my pin to restore data. i am trying to save changes to my address book i made on my phone, not restore from my backups. does anybody knoe how to fix this ?
To resolve this issue when you open up Backup Assistant select the # symbol for forgot password. Once you do this then select the # symbol again to set up as a new user. After you do this then select to sync contacts and all of your contacts to your Backup Assistant account.
2nd question - i made changes to the phone numbers listed in my backup online to remove the ( ) and the dashes in my phone numbers since the speed dail numbers won't work the blackberry with ( ) and dashes in the numbers. I make the changes to the numbers, but after i save it they are still there. I am worried that if i run the sync from the backup **bleep**'t website it will throw the () anddashes back into my contavts, which i don'r want. anybody have this issue or would be able to answer my question(s) /
On this option the () and -'s are programmed to be set into the phone numbers of your contacts. The way to get around this when you choose to add a speed dial choose to do it by contact. When you do it this way it will not matter if you have the () and -'s in it. The speed dial will still work correctly.
Hope this helps.

Backup Assistant Plus simply doesn't work, how do I disable it?

I have a shiny new Samsung Galaxy S III and when I set up my contacts, I added them as "Phone" entries with the expectation that the Backup Assistant Plus app would allow me to back them up. Except that it doesn't and, from what I've seen online, it is a miserable piece of junk that simply doesn't work for many people.
Soooo....
I sent all my contacts as a big V-card to my Gmail account, sorted things out in Gmail, unjoined them all on the phone, and deleted the Phone entries. Now I only have Gmail contact entries and they synch with no issues.
My only question now is, how do I disable/stop Backup Assistant Plus so that it doesn't constantly give me notifications about how incapable it is? I've tried clearing it's data and forcing it to stop. But it comes back from the dead, like a demonic zombie! It appears the only thing the app can do is resurrect it itself for the sole purpose of notifying me that it will fail to do anything useful.
Any and all help with this issue is greatly appreciated.

greblaws wrote:
I have been trying to disable Backup Assistant Plus since it is a BATTERY and PERFORMANCE HOG! I have a lowly Droid3, and it has been really causing issues.
Your instructions above DO NOT WORK, under Manage Applications I get "Uninstall updates" - I cannot uninstall it. It is a "system application" and I am locked out of that control. GRRRR. Clear data does not do anything for performance.
Even when on wifi, this app's backup of data is slower than TAR in January. Biggest issue is the
The reason the steps to uninstall the app didn't work is because the DROID 3 is running Gingerbread (Android 2.3). The instructions above were for the Samsung Galaxy S III running either ICS (Android 4.0) or Jelly Bean (Android 4.1).
You can however "Clear the Data" for the app and from that point never use the app. The phone will learn to not load it into the RAM in case you ever use it.

Red checkmark in contact list on website backup assistant

Some of the contacts in my contact list on the website backup assistant contain a red checkmark. What does it mean?

How frequently does VZW update the red check marks in BackupAssistant and/or does the system somehow automatically do it? How accurate are the red check marks or the absence of them in telling you whether those in your contacts are, or aren't Verizon Wireless users?
For instance my wife just came over to Verizon Wireless less than 2 weeks ago, and her entry in my contact list backup is marked with a red check mark.
Bernie in CT

Backup Assistant and birthdates not saving correctly

I have been lucky and figured out I needed to have my own sign-in for my phone in order to have Backup Assistant work with a family plan (I'm not the primary). And the first couple of times I tried it I got weird messages. But I hung in there and it paid off and now it works like a charm. Except - I am using it as a total backup for my address book and when I put in birth dates the "day" is saved as one day off. When I discovered it on the first entry I thought it was my mistake - but not all of them. I keep going back in to correct it but it's not holding all of them. What's the problem?

I have one contact, that the same thing occurs. Deleted them, loaded them via the BA site instead of the phone and always a day and a year off.

Backup Assistant question

Somehow, Backup Assistant has placed two entries of all my contacts onto my LG Octane basic phone.
Is there a way to "merge contacts", without hand-deleting all the duplicate entries?
Thanks!

DITTO, this happened to me 2 weeks ago. Ispent Saturday afternoon on the Back-up ***. website going through the 171 entries to delete the duplicates. Too bad we couldn't have a tech write a SQL script to 'delete duplicates'. NOt sure how this happened. I do have an SD micro card and 'maybe' when telling the memory WHERE to store, it got confused.
Not happy with the Backup Assistant storing of Address fields. Somehow, the STATE all defaulted to AK when I live in MASSACHUSETTS. Was this a new field in the file format unknown from the original upload last AUG'11???

I am getting an error with Backup Assistant

Everytime it runs it says: "Failed to SyncErrorcode:10".
Thanks in advance for your help.

BA does not work well with some smartphone and this error is very common... Most just export data into gMail to resolve this issue....
Try Importing all contacts to Google and then all you have to do is check the double entries and select delete..
1. Log into Verizon Backup Assistant
2. Click on Export to CSV
3. Save File as (or Rename to) Contacts (it should already be converted to CSV so including .csv is redundant)
4. Log into Gmail/Google Voice
5. Click on Contacts
6. Click on Import
7. Browse for the Contacts (.csv) file
8. Click Import
9. Disable BA by going to Settings / Applications . Manage Applications / All Tab / Sync Service / Clear All

Backup Assistant network unavailable messages?

I've been getting this message since I did the update last week. Can anyone suggest a solution to me or point me to an existing conversation about this? Thanks!

Also if the information it on Backup assistance and you still cant access the backup I suggest Try Importing all contacts to Google and then all you have to do is check the double entries and select delete..
1. Log into Verizon Backup Assistant
2. Click on Export to CSV
3. Save File as (or Rename to) Contacts (it should already be converted to CSV so including .csv is redundant)
4. Log into Gmail/Google Voice
5. Click on Contacts
6. Click on Import
7. Browse for the Contacts (.csv) file
8. Click Import
9. Disable BA by going to Settings / Applucations . Manage Applications / All Tab / Sync Service / Clear All
All contacts on youir device should sync to Google... Now I do say should because no software is perfect.

Phonebook, Backup Assistant and Verizon Cloud always out of sync

I have a very strange problem regarding syncing. Basically, the contacts in my phonebook on my Droid Razr HD, are never in sync with Backup Assistant Plus and the Cloud. My understanding was that if I edit, add or delete a phonebook entry, it would be backed up and kept in sync with Verizon Cloud, which I subscribe to. But that never happens. Entries are in the Cloud, but never in sync with my phonebook. And when I click on a contact in the Cloud, it is always empty. It is though all 3 entities are stand alone products which remain out of communication and out of sync with each other.
Backups take place at schedule intervals, and rarely fail. Yet nothing seems to happen. Reading other posts about the issues people have with syncing, it is clear to me that sync is the problem child of Verizon, and few if any CSRs seem to understand it. If you talk to 5 CSRs, you will get 5 different explanations of how it is supposed to work, and the customer is caught in the middle. I've tried all the usual steps, including Sync All, Sync Now,
In People-->Settings-->Contact Storage-->Contact Storage Accont, the only options available are Backup Assistant Plus (which I've selected) and Google (unselected). Cloud is not even an option and seems to work in a standalone mode. I don't even know why BAP is offered, when Cloud is being used. I thought Cloud was the replacement for BAP? The whole thing is a bit of a mess, honestly, and needs to be re-engineered from top to bottom. In the meantime, would anyone know how I can get these products to work as they should?

Ann154 is correct, use gMail.
The Verizon cloud is not acceptable or functional.    I went through the set up with Verizon and was not able to get backup assist and cloud to do it's job.
I just switched carrier, and from Android, to iPhone, back to android.   The only way to get it all together was to use gmail (which I did not have, but opened free, just for this purpose.)

Backup Assistant - I am posting as a new item as this issue is shown as resolved and it is not.

I just got my second LG Cosmo 2 phone device and am having the same problem noted by others. I was told by a customer service rep to take my first phone back to a local store and exchange as the backup assistant problem I am having will be resolved. Well it did not resolve...read on. The first time I go to use the phone in the morning Backup Assistant is checking if changes to my directory have occurred. You have to unlock the phone to let it complete or you hit end to cancel the update. I have worked with customer service to fix the problem with no success. We have deleted backup assistant, which apparently re-installs automatically when you access "Apps". One customer service agent told me to change my schedule from midnight to some other time in the day as sometimes the Verizon systems are not available from midnight to 6 am. I am totally frustrated with this annoying issue every morning and especially if you are in a hurry to answer or make a call. Seems to me the backup assistant application could have a schedule option of "off" or "manual" so that this problem goes away. Let the phone user determine how they want to manage their directory backups. I've been in the software business for over 30 years and backup assistant is just poorly designed and it is proven by the numerous complaints similar to mine. It would be so simple to fix with a software update and stop a lot of wasted time in this forum or unnecessary calls to customer reps. It anyone has a solution please let me know. Thank you much.

Hi gmeyerco,
I know how frustrating it can be to have Backup Assistant connect randomly. The next step I would take would be to uninstall the application and reinstall it. Please follow these steps to uninstall/reinstall:
To Uninstall:
Press Menu
PressMediaCenter
Press Browse and Download
Highlight Backup Assistant
Choose options on the bottom left
Choose Cancel Subscription
To Reinstall:
Press Menu
PressMediaCenter
Press Browse and Download
Press Backup Assistant
Choose Free Subscription
Then follow the steps for installation and set up.
I am certain this step will resolve your issue, please reach out to us if the steps do not resolve your concern and we will certainly continue with trouble shooting.
Thanks,

How can I restore contacts from Backup Assistant

My contact list has been corrupted. I have been using Backup Assistant for some time and want to restore my contacts from a previous backup.
Verizon seems to have changed BA since the last time I used it and the only function seems to be to take my corrupted contact list from my phone and store it. Any suggestions on recovering my non-corrupted contact list?

Here is a reply from a VW CS regarding the same question a few months back:
Click this link Backup Assistant (sign in) to check if contacts are available. You may sync directly from the site, by simply clicking sync on the right hand side (above contacts).
You may also try to sync by adding your G-mail account to the your device then go to Settings > Accounts & Sync > Ensure Sync is on for G-mail account. You may also select Auto-sync.
For additional information on how to restore contacts, click the link below:
Backup Assistant

Why is Verizon support for Backup Assistant so limited?

Folks, I have wasted a whole day looking for a solution to this problem. Perhaps this posting will save someone from wasting their time.
After over an hour on the phone with two customer support people and a wasted hour at the local Verizon corporate store, and endless hours searching for an answer online, I am at a dead end. There are hundreds of reports in these forums about problems with Backup Assistant (BA). There are instructions on the Verizon website that indicate BA will work if you follow the steps. It just ain't so. Seems to me all Verizon cares about is selling the latest and greatest smart phones.
Here's the story. Backup Assistant was working on an LG VX6100. It is a tedious program, but at least contacts could be backed up when it worked.
Today I transferred the 6100 to a new number for a family member, and activated an LG VX8300 for myself. The first phone customer support person directed me through the same steps numerous times and just couldn't believe that the menu options they spoke of were NOT on the phone. I was finally turned over to a second customer support person who directed me through exactly the same futile steps. I read them the same error message over and over again. It was: "Unable to retrieve catalog. Please try again later (3332)." Then I was directed to go to a Verizon store in town for help. Another useless venture. I brought along the following instructions which I found in one of the forums here:
https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/826595#826595
Correct Answer Re: VX8300 "No Application" Message, also an Error (3332)
SuzyQ CommunityLeader
SuzyQ Feb 29, 2012 8:42 AM (in response to Grove)
This response several months ago from MikeS_VZW - there IS a fix but as rep may have to look to find it -
We hear your! I have posted several things about not being able to access the Get It Now catalog on some older devices. Before, there was no way to get your access back to the catalog. You had to upgrade to a new device if you did not access the catalog between September and March 25, 2011. There has been a lot of feedback about not being able to access the catalog, so we made it possible to get it back.
Here's what you need to do to get your Get It Now access back on your older phone:
1) Ensure you are able to access other data on your phone (go to settings & tools> My Verizon or My Account) this does not charge megabytes, but does connect to data. This will ensure other data is working.
2) Make sure you don't have blocks on your line that is preventing you from accessing the Get It Now catalog (app blocks, etc.)
3) Take it into any Verizon Wireless corporate store (authorized dealers/premium retailers will probably not have this ability).
4) Explain your issue to them. If you are getting error 3332 when you bring up Get It Now, let them know.
5) A representative will plug your phone into a computer and flash the certificate/update onto your phone (we have articles in our information database to walk them through that if it's their first time.
6) Enjoy having access to your Get It Now catalog again!
This is new information. Before, the only option was to get a different phone. I know this sounds cheezy, but we do hear you. Lots of feedback came about due to this change, and although we tried to be proactive as possible to alert the affected users, there were some that fell through the cracks. Feel free to PM me or call customer service at 800-922-0204 for further information about this.
Good luck! And note it specifies CORPORATE STORE - that may be why you weren't getting anywhere before. Use the Store Locator (top right of your screen) to make sure you are dealing with a corporate rather than "authorized reseller".
The store clerk read it. After dinking around with the phone for 15 minutes he said he thought a software update for the LG VX8300 might help. He took it in the secret back room, and came out a few minutes later and said that they didn't have the latest version because the IT people hadn't made it available to them and probably wouldn't because the phone was an older phone. Apparently anything older than 4 years is ancient in Verizon's eyes. He suggested I might be able to get it directly from LG. He also said I could bring in the VX6100 and maybe they could transfer the contacts directly from it to the VX8300 if they could find a cable. However, that still leaves me with no Backup Assistant. That was that.
LG does indeed have updates available online, but it requires a special LG USB cable which I do not have. For instructions visit
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/985182-Tutorial-VX8300-How-to-upgrade-downgrade-your-firmware-W-Pics
http://www.lg.com/us/support-mobile/lg-VX8300
Ideas, anyone?
This whole ordeal does not make me want to commit to a 2-year contract that comes along with new equipment.

I noticed that you posted this a couple of months ago... I just activated an old VX8300 as well and am having the same error messages. Did you have any luck getting it figured out?
I agree with you as well. I am getting married in June and do not want to upgrade to any kind of data plan for 2 years and after we get married we're switching to Sprint, not this Verizon garbage with the worst customer service that only cares about screwing people over in this terrible economy. (Sorry, enough ranting from me, just curious if you ever got it fixed? Thanks!)

Backup Assistant is not populating the data to the site

I have 200+ contacts in my phone that were transfered by the Verizon store. They also set up the backup assistant for me. When I sync the contacts to the backup assistant from the device I get a message on the device that says succeded and a time and date which are current. Then I go to my computer login to the backup site and no contacts show up. When I click in the messages tab the messages are there. I have reset the phone synced about 100 times and still no contacts. Any ideas?

If your contacts are saved as Google contacts, they WILL NOT backup to Verizon's Backup Assistant.
If the word Google is under the Link box (which is an option to allow linking to other contacts), the contact is saved as a Google contact. You can't change it after it is saved the first time.
From your post above, it sounds like your contacts were uploaded to your Google account and synced to your phone.
Google contacts are a better way to go IMHO.

Backup assistant entry duplication

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