Show real names instead of phone numbers

For: the account owner (admin)

Bridged WhatsApp and Signal chats often show a phone number such as +39 333 1234567 instead of a name. If your contacts are saved in Google Contacts, you can connect them in the portal, and Element shows the real names.

Before you start

• You need a Google account with your contacts in Google Contacts.
• Link WhatsApp or Signal first.

Connect Google Contacts

1. In the portal, open Contacts.
2. Click Connect Google Contacts.
3. Sign in with your Google account and allow access to your contacts.
4. Back in the portal, click Sync Now.

After the sync, your bridged chats show names instead of numbers. Contacts keep syncing after that.

Choose which contacts are used

• Use the slider Which contacts reach your addressbook to choose how many contacts are taken over: Broad, Balanced, Tight or Minimal. Broad takes the most contacts, Minimal the fewest.
• Under Groups feeding your addressbook you can see which Google contact groups are used.
• Contacts you have removed are listed under Removed contacts. Click Restore to bring one back.

Clean up

• Clean up addressbook tidies up the contacts that were taken over.
• Remove all bridge contacts removes all contacts that came in through the bridges.

If something goes wrong

• "Google authorization expired. Re-connect to sync new contacts.": Google ended the connection. Click Re-connect Google and sign in again.
• A name still shows as a number: check that the number is saved in Google Contacts in international format, for example +39…, then click Sync Now.

Related

• Connect WhatsApp
• Connect Signal
• Portal tour