Support

Connections between contacts

Define a relationship once and both contacts show it.

A connection describes a relationship between two contacts, such as Nicky being an employee of Pookie. Add it on either card and Buckets records the reciprocal relationship on the other card.

Relationship types are pairs. Rename, delete or add types as needed. Employer and manager are separate relationships, and a contact can have either or both.

When the reciprocal term depends on contact details, the contact card determines the term. If the details are unavailable, both possible terms are shown instead of a guess.

Each pair can be marked with a sort — Family, Work, Friends, Groups, or one of your own. You can then search a whole sort: “family of Jim”, “Jim’s family”, “my family”. A single word works too: “my sisters”, “Jim’s employees”.

A relationship category is used when a contact is named. A bucket called Family remains a bucket when you search for Family alone. If a term has both meanings, the line under the search box identifies the result type and offers the alternative.

A connection does not create a bucket. It is a relationship between two contacts, not a name assigned to objects.

Connections are shared both ways with the phone’s Relationships field. A relationship on the phone becomes a connection when the name is a contact; one naming nobody in Buckets is kept as it is. A connection made in Buckets is written to each contact’s own phone entry. The phone keeps one side only, so the reciprocal relationship exists in Buckets alone.

On the Connections screen, Map shows the chosen contact in the middle, with Family above, Work to the right, Friends to the left and the rest below. Each group is a list that scrolls, with each contact’s relationship under their name. Name and Relationship above the map set the order in every frame. Tap a contact to put them in the middle. List stays the default and is where connections are added and removed.

In common lists the contacts connected to two or more contacts, with how each is connected to them. On the Connections screen, pick a contact, tap In common and pick another. Or search “Mark and Cecile in common”.