# Handheld Contact — user reviews > 50 indexed App Store user reviews of Handheld Contact by J2X Technologies Inc., rated 4.39/5 from 513 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handheld-contact/id358848912/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handheld-contact/id358848912.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 356 · 4★ 85 · 3★ 23 · 2★ 14 · 1★ 35 ## What do users think of Handheld Contact? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 📱 Seamless mobile access to ACT! database - 🔄 Reliable syncing capability (when working) - ⚡ Faster performance than desktop ACT! - 📍 Offline functionality for traveling professionals - 👍 User-friendly interface - 🎤 Voice note dictation support - 💬 Responsive customer support (historically) - 📅 Comprehensive calendar and contact management - 🔄 Real-time sync between devices - 🎯 Convenient field note-taking for sales professionals **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent syncing failures and instability - 📵 iPhone compatibility issues - 🔌 Requires manual desktop sync for updates - 😤 Inconsistent customer support responsiveness - ⚠️ Data loss bugs in recent updates - 🔄 Sporadic synchronization performance - 📊 Poor handling of large contact databases (11K+) - 🎨 Outdated UI/UX design - 💰 Expensive subscription model - 🔧 Recurring bugs despite multiple updates - 📱 Limited activity type options - ⚙️ Clunky and unreliable interface **Commonly reported bugs** - Sync crashes (50% failure rate reported) - Calendar blank after updates - Full data wipe and loss on updates - Recurring events duplicating incorrectly - Birthday dates placed on wrong day/month - App freezing and hanging on loading - Contact sync showing only partial database (500 of 11K) - Call duration timer not functioning - Icon display issues on iPad 3 - App crashes with latest updates - Incomplete syncing of scheduled meetings - Activities not clearing between devices **Most requested features** - Separate notes and history sections - Multi-device subscription (iPhone and iPad) - Improved call duration timer functionality - Ability to call/text alternate contact numbers - Better iPad-specific interface optimization - Alarm/reminder notifications for scheduled events - Support for more activity types beyond calls - Enhanced UI comparable to native iOS apps - Task sorting and filtering capabilities ## Newest reviews (14 of 50) ### 4/5 — Handheld Contact *2019-01-25, version 8.3.1* Love it-great tool that I use every hour of the workday to effectively manage my accounts on the road!! ### 5/5 — Keeps me up to date *2019-01-25, version 8.3.1* Handheld contact keeps me up to date with my calendar and all of my contacts. I love it. Would not be without it. ### 5/5 — Built a business around it *2019-01-23, version 8.3.1* Great product. We have used ACT for decades and this just allows us to carry our business around in our phones. ### 4/5 — New Interface *2019-01-22, version 8.3.1* I like the new interface but it doesn’t allow me to call or text Alternate Numbers. I liked the old interface because you could call or text any number that you had listed. ### 5/5 — I use this daily *2019-01-17, version 8.3.1* The new update is long overdue and a big help. I do like HHC and use it daily. I am a heavy traveler and this works for me. ### 5/5 — Syncs great! *2018-11-14, version 8.2.3* Act for web syncs flawlessly and I like the tagging feature that shows my appointments on a map. ### 5/5 — Can’t live without it *2018-11-14, version 8.2.3* Great product I can talk my notes and I have them hear back on my corporate server rely on it for phone calls emails addresses love it ### 5/5 — Calendar Blank After Last Update *2018-09-20, version 8.2.1* My calendar is blank after last update. Task list still shows events but nothing shows on my calendar. ### 5/5 — Great app and EXCELLENT support *2018-05-10, version 8.1.1* HHC Dev Team is continually updating app to expand features. Support is outstanding ### 3/5 — DOES NOT SYNC *2018-04-17, version 8.0* Seems to be very inconsistent with synchronization to and from my desktop. I have little to no confidence that scheduled meetings are being captured and accurately stored in ACT. ### 3/5 — Just doesn’t work as advertised. Poor quality, bugs and crashes *2018-04-13, version 8.1.1* I’ve been a paid user with multiple accounts for over three years. I’ve been patient, and lived with false promises long enough, and now I’m going to be canceling my account, and asking for full refund. The program crashes constantly, you cannot change activity types, sync issues, and just plain excuses from their support staff. Yes I’m using ver 8.1 build 1. I really wish this program worked, so I can keep my schedule clean and Synced using my iPhone and iPad but it will work somewhat for a few weeks then not work. I even paid for premium support and that’s no better. I’d stay away from this App. ### 4/5 — Much improved new version! *2018-04-08, version 8.0* This app has had its struggles but v8.0 deserves credit for finally solving the major problems. Now that it seems stable again, it is the best app for Act on an iPhone. Even Swiftpage’s sales folks recommended it as better than their own iOS app (I called once called them to talk about using their app and was told “HHC is better, even with its buggy release problems.”) I decided to write this because the earlier reviews are about older HHC versions and the developer deserves credit for sticking with it to get the bugs fixed. Those of us who are committed to Act need this app! I don’t use Opportunities or Secondary Contacts, so I can’t comment on those new features in v8.0, but the “basics” (Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, History) work very well now. If you haven’t tried HHC recently (or are still using ‘HHC Legacy’ out of fear v8.0 has problems), it’s time to try it again. The developer needs to be sure they thoroughly test new releases. That’s why the app has had checkered reviews. It still has a few cosmetic bugs but nothing affecting functionality or data integrity. If, over time, they fix the cosmetic issues and don’t break it with a future release, I’d move it to 5 stars. ### 5/5 — All fixed now! *2018-03-31, version 8.0* Customerservice is wonderful, after a few emails it’s all worked out and now working perfectly, some nice enhancements as well. Jerry / JDA Group ### 5/5 — Best Act! App Around *2018-01-24, version 7.3.2* I have been using and recommending Handheld Contact since January 2006. FYI: I am an Act! Consultant, Reseller and Trainer and I have 10 clients on Handheld Contact. When I saw the review below by “Joe The Computer Guy” I was really surprised and disappointed. In the last seven years I’ve never had or even heard of the kind of problems that he had. I feel sorry for him and his users and this client because that must’ve been an extremely difficult circumstance. Despite all the very great difficulty Joe described, I would suggest to him and his client that giving up is not necessarily the best solution. I have known and worked with Victor Krahn since the beginning. I am really glad that he was able to sell his company to Keystroke Quality Computing and remain on their staff. I’m grateful to Keystroke (a competitor of mine) for the aggressive investment and boldness that they’ve diligently applied to developing and improving the already useful features that HHC now includes. I personally use Handheld Contact every day, all day long, for every call. I consider HHC to be one of my most valuable selling tools and so do most of my peers. I use Siri to dictate my notes on nearly every call and email I send using Handheld Contact. HHC slipped on a bad patch of ice a little while back. But, they brushed themselves off, learned from it and kept right on going. They have successfully released several updates since then as well. I am really looking forward to the improvements that are yet ahead for this excellent program. Go Ken & Victor! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Syncing is not stable *2023-01-12, version 9.1.1* Crash on sync is 50-50 Don’t bother trying to sort tasks or anything by meeting only hehehe. Monopoly makes them lazy ### 1/5 — Don't waste your time *2022-08-31, version 9.1.1* This gets one star only because there is no option for a 0. Support will not respond to service ticket, email, or phone call. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY! ### 1/5 — Won’t work with iPhone *2020-09-09, version 8.5.5* After more than 4 months after an iPhone update HHC still doesn’t sync properly. Some say it works. On my phone it doesn’t and that’s even after weeks of troubleshooting by HHC who says it’s working on a fix for iPhone users. But I’ve not gotten a fix yet. I’ve spent hours on sending logs, downloading suggested updates, and other trouble shooting. It’s maddening that HHC hasn’t released a fix for iPhone owners like me. ### 1/5 — My only option, so I use it *2019-01-22, version 8.3.1* Steve Jobs is dead, but his arrogance lives on: Apple is too demanding for HHC to qualify for acceptance on the platform. After 25 years of use of ACT!, I cannot find an alternative CRM. Unfortunately, the only way I can try to sync my PC with my iDevices is via HHC. I say, “Try,” because the interface is clunky and unreliable. In three or four years of use, I have never had confidence that my Calendars were well-coordinated. As someone who travels on business 200 days a year, the situation is intolerable. Not that I can find a choice. ### 1/5 — Hhc *2018-04-24, version 8.1.1* The last release was a joke Only activity type = call Get real ### 1/5 — Terrible Terrible Terrible *2017-10-30, version 7.3.1* Buyer beware this is a terrible app with Terrible support. Last update cost me a week of connectivity with my customer base. When this company does updates they make you manually go into your computer and sync the information back to your phone. If you are not by your computer you can not update. Terrible IT. ### 1/5 — Synch is a disaster *2017-10-20, version 7.3* We’re only seeing 500 out of 11K contacts. CS a disaster. Used to be terrific is now a dog. ### 1/5 — Wish I could give negative stars *2017-09-18, version 7.2.2* As an IT manager, I expect certain levels of usability from the apps I push out to my employees. With this latest update, I have lost all faith in HandHeld Contact. How does a "full wipe and data loss" bug get missed in testing? Why were we emailed days later about the bug? Why were we emailed after 2 more minor revisions, both of which claimed the fix the bug only to not do so? I had to perform a "purge and resync" on 15 employee devices, three times each over the course of the last week. Both I and especially my employees had much more important and pressing matters to attend to that were put off because of this undiscovered "bug". This app was once the pinnacle of keeping ACT relevant; it is now a shining example of what happens when people keep a dying technology limping along into a future that does not want it. ### 1/5 — Horrible update Negative Stars *2017-09-17, version 7.2.2* There have been issues with this app for months. The blame is on Microsoft updates, I was told. We are working on it, and the next update will be coming soon. Well, it came. And it is worse. So bad, the app is unusable. Recurring events are placed everywhere, some every day, even though they are once weekly events in the native app database. Birthdays were placed in the wrong day, and month. This once was the best iPhone app for syncing with Act! Now I have no faith or trust in how it handles my data. I have deleted and will not reinstall until I hear from them it is safe to do so. I doubt I renew when renewal comes up in a month or so. I just do not understand a release that is this bad, and had no notes attached to the update either. ### 2/5 — don’t sync well *2021-10-05, version 9.0.3* got this for when traveling using ACT as our main CRM. this software does not perform well. the sync is highly sporadic and generally unreliable. older version worked very well but not any more ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — THE BEST APP *2021-10-03, version 9.0.3* Update recently you got it right. Easy and informative. ### 5/5 — Hand Held Contact *2021-09-27, version 9.0.3* Very good app! Good support. ### 5/5 — This feature/app is tremendous! *2021-09-22, version 9.0.3* I love having this in my phone! In a matter of a few clicks I can see what I’m doing and when from anywhere - extremely convenient and useful - I highly recommend it! Brian ### 5/5 — BEST Act! AddOn EVER! *2020-03-23, version 8.5* HHC has been and continues to be the best Act! AddOn as it provides seamless interaction with Act! On the go with a handheld device! ### 5/5 — Wonderful app *2019-12-19, version 8.4.4* Now I have everything with me on my phone. Thanks Craig! ### 5/5 — Great idea! Wonky Tech *2019-11-24, version 8.4.4* ACT! Is the best enterprise contact manager. The original version could keep easily-retrieved addresses, schedule, keep real-time notes, send faxes, emails, write letters using Word, mail-merge and sync to a handheld device. More recent versions have been riddled with glitches and unscrupulous tech support. The latest outrage is the backdoor access that allows the cloud server to access a desktop copy without a subscriber’s permission. And slows down the desktop app to render it useless. Enter at your own peril. ### 5/5 — Best Mobile App for ACT *2019-11-07, version 8.4.4* I have tried them all and this is the best ...period. ### 5/5 — The Power and Productivity of ACT for the iPhone *2019-08-13, version 8.4.2* I have been using ACT as my calendar and contact management application since the mid 1990s. Handheld Contact is an amazing app that provides all of ACT’s power and productivity for the iPhone OS and platform. Handheld Contact has virtually the same capabilities as ACT. Having Handheld Contact on my iPhone allows me the use of my favorite contact and calendar manager even at those times that I can’t have my PC or laptop with me. I do not know what I would do without Handheld Contact. It is indispensable. ### 5/5 — Renewed after a break in service *2019-04-09, version 8.3.3* I had this app for a few years to avoid monthly charge from Sage Act! It was OK but not great. Upon renewing last month I was very happy to see how much Handheld Contact has improved. I have no issues on usability at all. For the annual fee I don’t see how you can beat this app to connect with my database. I am sure the full subscription app from Sage is better, but this app has to be 95% of the way there and I am very pleased with how well it syncs and displays the calendar now. Thanks for putting in the effort to make the app work much better than two years ago. ### 5/5 — Must Have App for Act! Users *2019-02-13, version 8.3.2* If you need to access your Act! data from anywhere but your desk, this is the app to have for your phone or tablet. Faster than the desktop version of Act!, and the ability to use it when not connected to the internet (while flying for example) is a huge feature for the traveling business person. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*