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Ted L. Nancy · Jul 30, 2009, 01:06 PM

I can't seem to accomplish this. Each time I delete the user's picture, it immediately reappears.

I think the picture was automatically added back when I was using Adium.

I've deleted a file for her contact in ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.AddressBook/, however each time I delete that and then proceed to delete the picture from the contact, the picture not only reappears, but so does the file in this cache folder! This contact is the only one in which I am experiencing this strange behavior, and it is the only contact with a file in that cache folder. Yikes!

I've also tried deleting the contact from my iChat, and even deleting the contact from my address book and re-adding. When I re-add, the picture reappears. Grrrrrr.........

Any ideas?

Ted L. Nancy · Jul 30, 2009, 01:12 PM

Also.. this is a contact with a MobileMe account. I too have a MobileMe account. The picture crap only happens when I add their MobileMe email to the contact, and the picture deletes itself if I delete the MobileMe email.

adamfishercox · Jul 30, 2009, 03:06 PM

Probably because MobileMe syncs a picture.

Ted L. Nancy · Jul 30, 2009, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

Probably because MobileMe syncs a picture.

Really? I did not know this. Even still, why does it "come back" after I delete it. Wouldn't it "sync" the deletion?

And why am I not having this problem with my other contacts that have MobileMe addresses?

adamfishercox · Jul 30, 2009, 03:13 PM

I'm just speculating.

JKT · Jul 31, 2009, 06:20 AM

If you send e-mails to another MobileMe user, they get your picture for "free" - this is why their messages show up with their picture even if they aren't in your Address Book. My guess would be that the image is being pulled into Address Book from any e-mails you have from her in Mail (or from any messages in iChat) though I am also speculating.

I think the following might be a way to stop this from happening: take a screenshot of the default placeholder image and paste that into her Address Book information, over the top of the one that is there. If you assign your own image to a user, I believe it overrides their own choice though I'm not 100% sure of that.

Ted L. Nancy · Jul 31, 2009, 10:25 PM

Yes, I've figured out how to replace the image with the default empty placeholder, however I was hoping to get it to show this by default.

I don't have any emails stored from the contact, nor do I have any saved iChats (in fact, I tried deleting the contact from my iChat buddy list, but it had no effect).

DarkStarRed · Aug 1, 2009, 02:40 AM

Have you tried opening iChat & clicking on the persons Name>Show info (in the info window click on Address Card if not already open) drop your pace holder image onto pic & check the box "Always use this picture"

Spheric Harlot · Aug 1, 2009, 03:11 AM

.Mac allowed users to sync a picture that is automatically added to others' OS X address books IF you set it up.

If you never uploaded an image, it wouldn't sync one to other machines.

I have not been able to find this functionality in MobileMe yet, so I can't edit my image, but it still syncs the old one.

(I rather like it, so I don't mind.)

Ted L. Nancy · Aug 1, 2009, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by DarkStarRed

Have you tried opening iChat & clicking on the persons Name>Show info (in the info window click on Address Card if not already open) drop your pace holder image onto pic & check the box "Always use this picture"

Well this is interesting. I followed those steps but no picture is shown. It simply shows a MobileMe cloud icon.

Shperic.. what would have been the steps in .Mac to upload a picture that synced to other Address Books?

Spheric Harlot · Aug 2, 2009, 02:37 AM

Originally Posted by Ted L. Nancy

Shperic.. what would have been the steps in .Mac to upload a picture that synced to other Address Books?

there was a specific Section under the online .Mac settings that allowed you to do this.

I have been unable to find it since it changed to MobileMe.

Ted L. Nancy · Aug 3, 2009, 05:08 PM

This is just a really annoying problem that frustrates me. Call me neurotic, but I don't like my OS or apps seizing control and not letting me accomplish the most basic of tasks.

Hopefully it's just a bug. Perhaps worked out in Snow Leopard? I've been planning on doing a "clean install" when Snow Leopard comes out, so hopefully that will fix the problem.

Spheric Harlot · Aug 4, 2009, 03:27 AM

Well, technically, it's your contact having control over how he appears in your address book, rather than the OS, but yeah, I get what you're saying.

You should be able to override this.

Ted L. Nancy · Aug 31, 2009, 03:20 PM

Update:

Did my clean install of SL. Problem persists.

That picture is definitely being synced directly from to the contact's MobileMe account. This is evidenced by that fact that:

1. If I disconnect from the internet, the picture does not reappear after removing it.

2. If I delete the MobileMe email from the contact, the picture does not reappear after removing it.

Oh well. Any other ideas, I'd be obliged. Thanks.