We are connected in so many different ways to so many different people in this age of technology that it is hard to keep it straight. In my days (because, you know, I’m so old), you had one address book and everyone you had a contact for was in the same place. Now, you can connect with people through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email, phone, and so much more.
Cobook Contacts combines all of your social networking contacts with your iOS device’s contacts and the best part is that the app has been completely redesigned in the likeness of iOS 7…
Design
Since its very recent redesign, Cobook Contacts now sports a lighter look. The background is white and the font is black with rounded lettering. It is presented with business-like hues of orange, gray, and beige.
When you swipe the screen from left to right, you will bring up the menu screen, which now has the blurred background look, instead of the solid gray list from before.
You can view your contacts all together, or separate them by your social network feed, local, or iCloud contacts, and even add tags to help you find specific groups of people.
When you select a specific contact, you can either swipe the contact from right to left to quickly make a phone call, or swipe from left to right to bring up a number of different options, including sending email, SMS, adding a tag, or deleting the contact. When you select a contact that has a Facebook account attached, you can see their recent status updates by tapping the related icon.
App Use
When you first log in, you’ll be asked for permission to access your iPhone’s contacts. You will then be able to connect to your Facebook account. After the app is finished syncing all of your contacts, you will be able to see them in one place. To search for a specific person, start typing a name or number into the search bar. The app gathers up all contacts that include any letter or number that you type in.
To call someone using the “Quick Call” feature, swipe from right to left on their name. This will expose a tab that will let you call them with one tap.
To send a text message or email, drag your finger across the screen from left to right on their name to call up a “more options” window. In this window, you can also add a tag, like “Work” or “D&D Gamer” so that, when you search through your contacts using a tag, you will be able to find them more easily.
If you have any doubles of the same name, merge them from this window as well. Just select a contact by swiping from left to right and then drag the contacts from left to right again to bring up the window and select “merge.”
You can add contacts to your favorites list by tapping the star next to their name. This will put them at the top of your contacts list.
To find contacts through your Facebook account, go to the menu screen and select one of the social networking options. You can select a contact from you account to see what they have recently posted on Facebook. You don’t even have to visit the social networking site to see what your friends are up to while you are incognito.
For an extra $2.99, you can add your Twitter, Instagram, and Foursquare contacts and remove the advertisement banner. For an additional $2.99, you can connect the app to your Xing account.
The Good
It is really nice to have all of your various contacts in one location. I have a lot of acquaintances that I may have a phone number saved in my local iPhone, but not in iCloud, or I may have friends that I have a contact for on Facebook, but have never gotten around to getting their information stored in my address book. This app makes it easy for you to find everyone in one place.
The Bad
Unfortunately, I was never able to sync my Facebook contacts properly. I tried everything to allow access though the app, but it never worked. I even tried searching for a friend through the app’s “Facebook Search” feature and 30 names popped up, but none of them were his.
To make matters worse, when I began writing this app review, I was able to sync my Twitter account and, literally in the middle of writing, the app was updated and Twitter became part of the “Essentials” pack. So, with no Facebook integration and my Twitter contacts gone, this was nothing more than a good-looking address book app.
Value
Cobook Contacts is free to download, but it is ad supported and you can only sync it with your iPhone, iCloud, and Facebook contacts without paying more. It looks good, but iOS 7 will make the native Address Book app look good, too. I had a taste of the Twitter contact feature and frankly, I think it is worth the $2.99 extra to get the Essentials Bundle, which connects your Instagram, Foursquare, and Twitter contacts as well. Plus you can remove the ad banner with the Essentials Bundel.
Conclusion
This app is worth downloading if you are willing to pay the $2.99 to add the Essentials Bundle. It is worth the three bucks to be able to access all of your social networking contacts in one location. If you have a lot of acquaintances across various social networking sites, this app will make your life a lot easier. Download it for free in the app store today.
Related Apps
Smartr Contacts for iPhone is another app that brings together all of your contacts, including social networking, in one app. Contacts Sync & Transfer lets you sync your Google, Yahoo, and Facebook contacts with your iPhone address book.