Reconciling contact information between users
View Patent ↗Methods, devices, and products utilize wireless-backup technologies to provide contact-reconciliation services with respect to sets of contacts stored on mobile devices. One embodiment of the inventions includes receiving an indication of an update event associated with a first set of contacts on a first mobile device, updating a remotely-stored copy of the first set of contacts, determining that a remotely-stored copy of a second set of contacts does not include a portion of contact information corresponding to the first mobile device, and updating the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts. In an embodiment, the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts is synchronized with the second set of contacts, thereby updating the second set of contacts.
1. Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of synchronizing contact information, the method comprising:
receiving a copy of a first set of contacts from a first mobile device associated with a first user, wherein each contact of the first set of contacts includes contact information;
storing the copy of the first set of contacts, wherein storing the copy includes storing the copy in a data store that is remote from the first mobile device as a remotely-stored copy of the first set of contacts;
receiving an indication that the first set of contacts has been updated to include a new contact, wherein the new contact corresponds to a second user having an associated second mobile device;
updating the remotely-stored copy of the first set of contacts to include the new contact;
referencing a remotely-stored copy of a second set of contacts, wherein the second set of contacts is associated with the second user;
determining that the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts does not include a contact corresponding to the first user;
updating the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts to include a contact corresponding to the first user; and
synchronizing the second set of contacts on the second mobile device with the updated remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts such that the second set of contacts on the second mobile device is updated to include the contact corresponding to the first user.
2. The media of claim 1 , wherein the new contact includes contact information corresponding to the second user.
3. The media of claim 1 , further comprising providing a notification to the second mobile device to inform the second user of the update event.
4. The media of claim 3 , wherein the notification includes a selectable option for allowing the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts to be updated.
5. The media of claim 3 , wherein providing the notification is communicated to the second mobile device as an SMS message.
6. The media of claim 1 , wherein updating the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts includes adding contact information to the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts.
7. The media of claim 6 , wherein contact information includes at least one of an e-mail address, a phone number, and an urban fleet market identifier (UFMID).
8. Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of reconciling contact information between a first mobile device that is associated with a first user having a corresponding set of first contact information and a second mobile device that is associated with a second user having a corresponding set of second contact information, the method comprising:
determining that the first and second mobile devices are associated with an instant-connect service;
searching the first set of contacts for additional contacts corresponding to mobile devices associated with the instant-connect service;
identifying a third mobile device associated with the instant-connect service that corresponds to a contact in the first set of contacts, wherein the contact includes a portion of a third set of contact information, the third set of contact information corresponding to the third mobile device;
determining that the at least a portion of the second contact information does not include an instant-connect identifier corresponding to the third mobile device;
adding an instant-connect identifier corresponding to the third mobile device to the first set of contacts.
receiving an indication that at least a portion of the first contact information has been added to the second mobile device;
and
providing an inquiry to the first mobile device asking whether at least a portion of the set of second contact information is to be added to the first mobile device.
9. The media of claim 8 , wherein providing the inquiry includes communicating a mobile message to the first mobile device.
10. The media of claim 9 , further comprising receiving a positive response to the inquiry and adding the at least a portion of the second contact information to the first mobile device.
11. The media of claim 10 , wherein the at least a portion of the second contact information is stored in a first set of contacts on the first mobile device.
12. A computer-implemented method of synchronizing contact information, the method comprising:
receiving, by a server device, a copy of a first set of contacts from a first mobile device associated with a first user, wherein each contact of the first set of contacts includes contact information;
storing, by the server device, the copy of the first set of contacts, wherein storing the copy includes storing the copy in a data store that is remote from the first mobile device as a remotely-stored copy of the first set of contacts;
receiving, by the server device, an indication that the first set of contacts has been updated to include a new contact, wherein the new contact corresponds to a second user having an associated second mobile device;
updating, by the server device, the remotely-stored copy of the first set of contacts to include the new contact;
referencing, by the server device, a remotely-stored copy of a second set of contacts, wherein the second set of contacts is associated with the second user;
determining, by the server device, that the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts does not include a contact corresponding to the first user;
updating, by the server device, the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts to include a contact corresponding to the first user; and
synchronizing, by the server device, the second set of contacts on the second mobile device with the updated remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts such that the second set of contacts on the second mobile device is updated to include the contact corresponding to the first user.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the new contact includes contact information corresponding to the second user.
14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising providing a notification to the second mobile device to inform the second user of the update event.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the notification includes a selectable option for allowing the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts to be updated.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein providing the notification is communicated to the second mobile device as an SMS message.
17. The method of claim 12 , wherein updating the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts includes adding contact information to the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein contact information includes at least one of an e-mail address, a phone number, and an urban fleet market identifier (UFMID).