I'm an android noob, just came over from the iPhone camp so please bear with me..
I've had the sgs for a couple of days and so far been trying to get a good handle on managing my contacts...
I used to backup / sync my iphone in itunes and my company outlook. I had a recent backup of my contacts in outlook, so the easiest way to get them on the android was to sync them over...
Now they show up in my corporate group.
Then I sync'd my facebook and it did a decent job of linking most of my contacts (I really like the way android does this as opposed to iphone)
I also had a recent list of contacts on my sim since I had been iphone-less for a couple of months and was using the old nokia flipper.
Now I have a couple of questions...
I've got my contacts display options only showing me the corporate and facebook groups (with phone numbers) .. so the list looks good !!! however when I send or receive a text message, it also shows all my sim contacts. A few of my sms threads were linked to the sim contact (only first name, no picture etc) .. the only way i found to resolve this was to delete that particular contact off my sim...
question 1) how do you delete all sim contacts ? (couldnt find a select all)
question 2) do I really have to delete my sim contacts? or can I disable it altogether so it won't show anywhere in my phone
question 3) next time I get some cute girl's phone number, it'll get stored as a "phone" contact .. how do I keep my corporate (outlook) contacts in sync with phone contacts... or can I put her number right in the corporate (outlook) group so it stays in sync with my exchange account ..
I don't want to end up with a bunch of numbers as phone contacts and another bunch as outlook / corporate contacts. I'd like to be able to back it all up somehow (like itunes would backup the iphone and sync with outlook)
Thanks for your insight and wisdom
if you are having trouble using Kies to manage your contacts, you can try this better alternative
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=765081
I installed android manager .. still no way to delete all sim contacts !!! amazes me why such a simple task is just not possible...
well good thing i have my 8 year old nokia phone that does it for me
Also annoying that I cant just turn off sim contacts so I won't have to delete all of them (another thing 8 year old nokia just does!)
indeed we have apps like this
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.shao.Copy2SIM
to copy contacts to SIM
but we have nothing to manage contacts from SIM
LOL
That's cool .. I plugged the sim in the nokia and wiped all of its contacts .. not the android doesnt get confused anymore..
now if i could only find that patch to fix my sms time stamps .. i'd be a happy android camper.. I tried 3rd party sms apps, but they dont seem to read my "exchange corporate" contacts .. so every text shows with just the phone number .. sigh
to hide your sim contacts on samsung galaxy S use the options :
contacts->menu->display option->choose contacts to display "UNCHECK SIM"
hope this helps
How can i tell where my contacts are saved?
When i first got my phone I synced my phone with my outlook contact on my pc. Now when i want to add a contact using my phone it's asking me if i want to save the contact to either my phone or my sim card. I would like to keep things consistent and save it in the same place as the rest of my contacts. So does anyone know how to find out where my current contacts are saved?
Thanks.
PeePeeHead said:
How can i tell where my contacts are saved?
When i first got my phone I synced my phone with my outlook contact on my pc. Now when i want to add a contact using my phone it's asking me if i want to save the contact to either my phone or my sim card. I would like to keep things consistent and save it in the same place as the rest of my contacts. So does anyone know how to find out where my current contacts are saved?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good questions, I don't have the answer but I'd like to know. I have a similar thread that no one has answered yet.
BTW, when I go to add a new contact I don't get your options!
My choices are:
1. Phone
2. Google mail
That is very strange. I'd like to get SIM card as an option.
If you want to know where your contacts are saved then go to your contacts, click the settings button, go to display options and from there you will be able to select what contacts to view, sim, phone and google. Click on one to view and that way you will know where they are all saved.
No idea why you cant have sim contacts mark, maybe your sim is full??
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Cicinho said:
If you want to know where your contacts are saved then go to your contacts, click the settings button, go to display options and from there you will be able to select what contacts to view, sim, phone and google. Click on one to view and that way you will know where they are all saved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, if you have your phone set up as I do,
Settings/Wireless Networks/Flight mode, 99% of the time, then you won't see SIM card as an option when you go into Contacts/Settings/Display.
This is one of many deficiencies of the SGS. I hope they change this in the next upgrade.
No idea why you cant have sim contacts mark, maybe your sim is full??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See above.
Furthermore, having just experimented with the SIM card setting now, it is quite 'limited'. It will only save the name, tel. number and e-mail address of your contacts, nothing else. You lose pics, home addresses, groups, and any other fields that you added etc.
But back to my original question.
How can you find the folder/files that the contacts are stored in on your phone?
Also, if you export your phone contacts to your SD card and then delete your phone contacts, will importing the contacts from your SD card bring EVERYTHING back faithfully? No lost pics, home addresses, groups etc.?
Has anyone here tried this?
TIA
I have contacts on my phone most of them don't have email accounts they are just phone numbers. When I try to sync my contacts to the gmail account on my phone none of the numbers show up in my gmail account contacts listing. However, if I have contact phone numbers in my gmail account and do a sync, the phone numbers come to my phone. Basically, it is like the sync is only working in one direction. How can I fix this?
I'm fairly confident the sync does only work in that one direction...someone else correct me if I'm wrong?
bird333 said:
I have contacts on my phone most of them don't have email accounts they are just phone numbers. When I try to sync my contacts to the gmail account on my phone none of the numbers show up in my gmail account contacts listing. However, if I have contact phone numbers in my gmail account and do a sync, the phone numbers come to my phone. Basically, it is like the sync is only working in one direction. How can I fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you add a contact on your phone, you have to choose "google" as where it's saved or else it won't sync to google
Kaik541 said:
when you add a contact on your phone, you have to choose "google" as where it's saved or else it won't sync to google
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so how do you add the google 'g' to contacts you already have on your phone without just recreating them all?
bird333 said:
Ok, so how do you add the google 'g' to contacts you already have on your phone without just recreating them all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not in front of my phone, but there is an option to export all contacts to a file and then an option to import them. I imported all my mine and added them to "phone" so i could add custom ringtones.
You may be able to add them all to google on the phone the same way.
There is also a market app for exporting contacts to csv - you may be able to do this then import through google on the desktop. YOu can use the linking feature to link phone contacts to google contacts.
Certainly others must have this problem. It stems from, I believe, having identical SIM, Google, and Phone contacts.
But that's what I WANT. But I don't want everyone's name to appear three times when I want to send someone a text message. Is there ANY solution to this?
long press one of them, then "join contact"
day one...
I had double names appear for texting that went away by ungrouping them in contacts. I believe all my contacts became "grouped" when I tapped my backup .vcf file twice after a rom install...which may not be the same situation as yours.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Just change the view to only show you contacts from one of the three databases. Either Google, phone, or sim.
From contacts hit the leftmost softkey and then select more. Then select display options
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
long press one of them, then "join contact"
day one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of my contacts are joined.
I had double names appear for texting that went away by ungrouping them in contacts. I believe all my contacts became "grouped" when I tapped my backup .vcf file twice after a rom install...which may not be the same situation as yours.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My contacts aren't grouped, I don't think. What is grouping, exactly?
Just change the view to only show you contacts from one of the three databases. Either Google, phone, or sim.
From contacts hit the leftmost softkey and then select more. Then select display options
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Contacts only displays my phone contacts. This has no bearing on the following:
1. When I want to send a text, everyone's name appears three times.
2. When I click the call button in a text, it asks me which number I want to call, then lists each number three times.
Something is up.
Open a contact and hit edit. If the contact is grouped there will be a + sign. All my contacts were grouped. After ungrouping them, they showed up twice in contacts, and I had to delete one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
not grouped, joined... or same crap...
Yes, thanks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
sailzfast said:
Open a contact and hit edit. If the contact is grouped there will be a + sign. All my contacts were grouped. After ungrouping them, they showed up twice in contacts, and I had to delete one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That WOULD solve the problem.... except:
1. I do not want to delete my contacts off my SIM. The SIM card carrying your contacts is a great feature.
2. I do not want to delete my contacts off my Phone. The Contacts menu looks a lot sleeker without the icons to the bottom right of each entry, and the pictures I feel load faster when they are stored on the phone.
3. I do not want to delete my contacts off my Google account. It stores my contact pictures as well as makes it easy when I flash over to a new ROM.
I will not delete these entries. They are all important. I want a real solution, and I am pretty sure one doesn't exist.
Edit: There isn't a "plus" sign, but each contact has three separate entries.
it was a little hard to understand at first but this is your poblem
#1 where do you want all your contacts saved to? PICK ONE (phone/sim/google)
open contacts> menu button > more > settings > save contacts to...
(google is better than sim or phone IMO auto backup and restore to net) but pick ONE. (uno, une, 1)
#2
open contacts> menu button > more > display options > choose contacts to display
only check the thing you picked above. UNCHECK the others
FIXED
Trusselo said:
it was a little hard to understand at first but this is your poblem
#1 where do you want all your contacts saved to? PICK ONE (phone/sim/google)
open contacts> menu button > more > settings > save contacts to...
(google is better than sim or phone IMO auto backup and restore to net) but pick ONE. (uno, une, 1)
#2
open contacts> menu button > more > display options > choose contacts to display
only check the thing you picked above. UNCHECK the others
FIXED
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only one thing is checked. In my Contacts, nothing is repeated.
ok then please re-explain what your problem is? maybe some screen shots? 'ShootMe' app is good change settings to jpeg to upload to xda.
cuz just not getting what your problem is then...
Trusselo said:
ok then please re-explain what your problem is? maybe some screen shots? 'ShootMe' app is good change settings to jpeg to upload to xda.
cuz just not getting what your problem is then...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://i.imgur.com/ozXeX.png
http://i.imgur.com/VPDmX.png
There is the problem. And yes, I do see the "Remember this choice" option, but that is also not a solution as 1. I do flash my phone often and I would have to remember it every time, and 2. I would have to remember it for all of my contacts, which would be a pain.
Trusselo's instructions in post #10 are dead on, except in your case, i'll ask that you choose to sync your contacts to a single google account rather than the other 2 options (phone or sim). Unless you often swap your SIM card to a dumb phone, this is your best option anyways.
To ensure we save all your contacts among all your storage locations.. First, adjust 'display options' in Contacts so that ALL your contacts are displayed from all your locations (duplicates are ok).
Next, still in contacts, open up menu, choose 'import/export/', then choose 'export to sd card.'
Now follow Trusselo's instructions in post #10.. Make sure you save contacts to a google account. Also when choosing 'display options', uncheck EVERYTHING, and ONLY check 'my contacts' under the google account you save contacts to.
Go to 'Accounts and sync' in settings and ensure that auto-sync is ON, and that 'sync contacts' is ON for the google account you're saving contacts to.
Now, in contacts, open up menu, choose 'import/export' again, and this time choose 'import from sd card'.
Open up GMail in a web browser, go to Contacts, go to 'my contacts', click on the 'more actions' button, choose 'find & merge duplicates'. Now just give your phone a minute to re-sync all your contacts with google..
This will clean up any duplicate contacts and phone numbers you may have. So you should only see one entry for each contact and number. It will also sync all your contacts regularly to your google account, even for new entries, which imo, is a lot safer than storing them directly on the phone or SIM card.
I've tested this method, and it should work for you if followed exactly. If there's anything that needs to be clarified, let me know.
I want them saved to my SIM card. And I want them saved to my Google Account. But I want them stored on my Phone.
I believe you want me to delete them from my SIM and from my Phone in order for this to work. I simply do not see why I would need to do that. If that is not what you are saying, then what is it? On my Contacts on GMail, there's only one number for each name.
thehyecircus said:
I want them saved to my SIM card. And I want them saved to my Google Account. But I want them stored on my Phone.
I believe you want me to delete them from my SIM and from my Phone in order for this to work. I simply do not see why I would need to do that. If that is not what you are saying, then what is it? On my Contacts on GMail, there's only one number for each name.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be clear, this will NOT delete contacts from you SIM card, nor from your phone. What this does is force ALL your contacts from your SIM AND your phone AND your Google account to be synced(copied) to your google account. Once that is done, all your contacts will appear on your google account and will be immediately copied back to your phone (as a locally saved copy).
Then what we're doing is just "hiding" all the duplicate contacts from your SIM card and 'Phone location' (not deleting them), so that we only see the contacts that were synced with your google account.. so its less confusing than viewing the same contact from 3 different locations.
All your old contacts will remain on your SIM card, only now all your old contacts and newly created ones will appear in contacts and be synced (backed-up) to your google account. This is useful because.. say you lose your phone, you will still have a copy of all your contacts in your google account and can be easily synced with a new phone, if they were stored on the SIM card or the 'Phone location' then they would just be.. gone.. lost forever. They will also sync back to the phone (with pics) if you flash a new ROM.
On another note, should you ever want to get a new phone and simply move your contacts, you can sync your contacts via your google account like I said, OR you could just go menu>import/export>export to sim card.
Make sense?
andyondroid said:
To be clear, this will NOT delete contacts from you SIM card, nor from your phone. What this does is force ALL your contacts from your SIM AND your phone AND your Google account to be synced(copied) to your google account. Once that is done, all your contacts will appear on your google account and will be immediately copied back to your phone (as a locally saved copy).
Then what we're doing is just "hiding" the contacts from your SIM card and 'Phone location' (not deleting them), so that we only see the contacts that were synced with your google account.. so its less confusing than viewing the same contact from 3 different locations.
All your old contacts will remain on your SIM card, only now all your old contacts and newly created ones will appear in contacts and be synced (backed-up) to your google account. This is useful because.. say you lose your phone, you will still have a copy of all your contacts in your google account and can be easily synced with a new phone, if they were stored on the SIM card or the 'Phone location' then they would just be.. gone.. lost forever. They will also sync back to the phone (with pics) if you flash a new ROM.
On another note, should you ever want to get a new phone and simply move your contacts, you can sync your contacts via your google account like I said, OR you could just go menu>import/export>export to sim card.
Make sense?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I mean, if you're asking me to change the display option to only display SIM/Phone/Google contacts, it is already set to do that.
thehyecircus said:
But I mean, if you're asking me to change the display option to only display SIM/Phone/Google contacts, it is already set to do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, i'm asking you to do the opposite. I'm asking you to store all your contacts to Google, and ONLY display Google contacts, and UNCHECK (hide) SIM and PHONE from 'Display Options' so that you do not see any duplicate names or phone numbers.
This will most likely solve your problem with seeing duplicate entries and is a much smarter way of managing your contacts.
andyondroid said:
No, i'm asking you to do the opposite. I'm asking you to store all your contacts to Google, and ONLY display Google contacts, and UNCHECK (hide) SIM and PHONE from 'Display Options' so that you do not see any duplicate names or phone numbers.
This will most likely solve your problem with seeing duplicate entries and is a much smarter way of managing your contacts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am already doing that.
thehyecircus said:
I am already doing that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, by your own admission, you're not.
"if you're asking me to change the display option to only display SIM/Phone/Google contacts, it is already set to do that."
Right there, you just said that ALL your contact locations are turned ON..which is the cause of you seeing 3 identical phone numbers for each contact. Earlier in the thread it was pointed out you need to ONLY select ONE option; the same location you are storing contacts to.
Let's say you already have all your contacts save to Google, that's great. That means you don't have to go through that entire process i wrote up. All that was meant to do is ensure ALL your contacts from all your locations were saved to google, but if that's already done then there's no need to go through all that.
It really goes back to Post #10.. assuming you have only have no duplicate phone numbers set up in google, then you just need to follow those instructions and you won't see those duplicates anymore.
Sounds like you either didn't follow the directions correctly in post #10 or not at all. The key thing is save your new contacts to google, then change the display options so ONLY, ONLY, JUST ONE, option is checked, and that is the Google account you are saving contacts to. Once this is done, you will not see duplicate entries anymore.
i want to transfer my contacts from phone to gmail account. But although it's 'sync on' @my O 2x, it syncs everything except the contacts. I'm using fr19. Any idea how to solve this?
thanks.
Sync on doesn't mean all options are, if you tap on the account you'll get a breakdown of what's available.
Yes, everything is checked. I even pressed the sync button. But still when i open gmail from PC, all my contacts aren't there. Only the starred contaacts. Is that what the star is all about?
EDIT: the only contacts that i have in PC's gmail are the ones i sent emails to. Other than that, no contacts are sync from phone to gmail.com
might be worth checking at http://www.google.com/contacts instead of GMail, but I shouldn't think it's any different.
Starred contacts are exactly that, contacts you've starred. Fire up the contacts list and tap a contact... top right will be a star.
or maybe because i'm using LG's gmail app? still can't sync to gmail contacts.
fifi139 said:
i want to transfer my contacts from phone to gmail account. But although it's 'sync on' @my O 2x, it syncs everything except the contacts. I'm using fr19. Any idea how to solve this?
thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you make a new phone contact it defaults to an LG PC Suite contact. These wont sync with your Gmail account.
You will need to recreate them and select your gmail acc instead of the above and then they will sync with gmail on the web etc.
Absolute pain in the backside I'm afraid but don't think there is another option
If you have to change them all into google contacts from lg suite contacts (if that's your problem) then I found using my phone explore (app and PC software) quite easy.
I exported all my contacts to a csv file and then converted them so google contacts could read them and then imported into google contacts.
Seems quite long winded but seemed quicker to me than copying each contact.
Fulwood Sedge said:
If you have to change them all into google contacts from lg suite contacts (if that's your problem) then I found using my phone explore (app and PC software) quite easy.
I exported all my contacts to a csv file and then converted them so google contacts could read them and then imported into google contacts.
Seems quite long winded but seemed quicker to me than copying each contact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks.. i use the app u mentioned and i can sync with gmail contacts. But only problem is for every entry i have two details, one is from gmail contacts and the one is pc suite. So, i stop sync gmail contacts. But i upload all my LG contacts using myphonexplorer. At least now if i want to change to another android phone the contacts are still there.
Well if you have all your contacts in google then just use my phone explorer to delete them off the phone so you are left with just google contacts. Bit risky if you missed one but if you keep an original file with them all in.
This way if you update contacts then they will be auto saved and backed up with google incase something happens to your phone before you have chance to back up your contacts.
Is there any benefit of one method over another? I mean, besides the obvious that Gmail contacts can be sync directly with the phone? Maybe LG's version is same advantage over gmail's?
I just prefer google contacts as i know they are saved 'in the cloud' and if i ever change my phone i know they will work (as ill be sticking with android). Also, if my phone dies on me i know they will have been backed up almost instantly after i updated/changed a contact.
Also I can access my contacts from anywhere if i havent got my phone with me or my phone has run out of battery life. But that is completely personal opinions.