I’m working on a project where I need to fetch a user’s contact groups from Gmail. I’ve already implemented Gmail OAuth for authentication. Is there a way to get this info without using the Contacts API?
I know the Contacts API can do this, but I’d rather not make users go through another authentication process. It would be great if I could just use the existing Gmail OAuth to grab the contact groups.
Has anyone found a way to do this? Or is the Contacts API the only option? I’m hoping there’s a method I’ve overlooked that would let me stick with just the Gmail authentication.
Any tips or suggestions would be really helpful. Thanks!
As someone who’s worked on similar projects, I can confirm that accessing Gmail contact groups without the Contacts API is a real challenge. I’ve tried various workarounds, but nothing quite cuts it.
One approach I experimented with was parsing the ‘To’ field of sent emails to infer contact groups. It worked to an extent, but it was far from perfect and pretty resource-intensive. Plus, it didn’t capture manually created groups that weren’t frequently used in emails.
In the end, I had to bite the bullet and implement the Contacts API. It wasn’t as bad as I initially thought. I streamlined the process by explaining to users why the additional authentication was necessary and how it benefited them in terms of data accuracy and completeness.
If you’re dead set against using the Contacts API, you might want to reconsider your approach. Perhaps you could make do with a simpler contact management system within your app instead of relying on Gmail’s groups. It’s not ideal, but it might be a workable compromise.
I’ve explored this issue in depth, and unfortunately, there’s no straightforward way to access Gmail contact groups using only Gmail OAuth. The Contacts API is indeed the primary method for retrieving this information. While it may seem inconvenient, it’s designed this way for security reasons. Google keeps these services separate to maintain data privacy and control access. If you’re set on avoiding the additional authentication, you might consider alternative approaches like parsing email headers or analyzing sent messages to infer contact groupings. However, these methods are less reliable and more resource-intensive. Ultimately, implementing the Contacts API might be the most robust solution for your project’s needs.
hey, i’ve been there. no luck getting groups with just gmail oauth — gotta use the contacts api. it’s a bit messy, but google won’t have it any other way. maybe let users know why the extra step is needed. thx