Why Some Deletes Are Blocked
In read-only sync mode, Remy refuses to delete a Google contact — because the next sync would resurrect it. Here's what to do instead.
Overview
You try to delete a contact in Remy and get blocked: "this contact came from Google and can't be deleted from Remy in read-only mode."
This isn't a bug. It's Remy protecting you from a frustrating loop.
The Resurrection Problem
In read-only sync mode, Google is the source of truth for contact identity. Remy pulls from Google; nothing pushes back.
If Remy let you delete a Google-sourced contact, the next sync run would notice the contact is still in Google, decide it's missing locally, and re-create it. You'd delete the same contact every hour, forever.
Rather than do that, Remy refuses the delete up front and explains why.
Your Two Paths Out
| If you want to... | Do this |
|---|---|
| Remove this contact from your network for good | Delete the contact in Google Contacts itself. The next Remy sync will pick up the deletion and remove its local copy. |
| Have delete-in-Remy actually work going forward | Switch to bidirectional sync from Settings → Integrations. Local deletes will then push to Google. |
Both options take effect on the next sync — within an hour automatically, or immediately if you click Sync now.
Switching modes re-prompts Google for permission
Bidirectional sync requires Google's contacts (write) permission. Switching from read-only to bidirectional sends you to Google to grant the broader permission — there's no Remy-only setting that changes the mode without Google's involvement.
Manual Contacts Are Different
The block applies only to Google-sourced contacts in read-only mode. Manual contacts you added in Remy can always be deleted — there's no resurrection risk because Google never had them in the first place.
If you're not sure whether a contact is manual or synced, check the contact's detail sheet: synced contacts are marked as such, and identity fields on Google-sourced contacts are owned by Google (see Google Sync).
In Bidirectional Mode
Once you're in bidirectional mode, deletions in Remy work the way you'd expect:
- Click delete on a Google-sourced contact → Remy removes its local copy and pushes the deletion to Google as part of the next sync.
- The Activity Log records both the local Contact Deleted entry and a Google Contact Pushed entry confirming the deletion went through to Google.
The block only exists to keep read-only mode honest — without it, "read-only" would be selectively writable in destructive ways, which is exactly the worst direction for a write to leak.
What Gets Logged
The block itself doesn't generate an Activity Log entry — nothing happened. Once you take one of the two paths out:
- Deleting in Google → next sync pulls the deletion is recorded as Google Sync Ran with the deletion counted in its metadata.
- Switching modes is recorded as Google Sync Mode Changed.
- Deleting in bidirectional mode is recorded as Contact Deleted plus Google Contact Pushed.
See the Activity Log for the full event vocabulary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just remove the contact from my Remy view without deleting from Google?
Not really. The view is your contact book — there's no "hide from Remy" toggle. If you don't want to see this person in Remy any more, the resolution is the same as not wanting to see them at all: delete in Google, or switch to bidirectional mode and delete in Remy.
What if the contact was never in my Google account?
Then it's a manual contact and the block doesn't apply. Open it and delete normally.
Will switching to bidirectional change anything else?
Yes. Manual contacts you added in Remy will be uploaded to Google on the next sync, and your tags will mirror to Google Labels. See Google Sync for the full picture before you switch.