Saving contacts from your phone to Google. How to sync Android contacts with Google: step-by-step instructions
The Android mobile operating system, like almost any modern platform, provides functionality that ensures the safety of the user’s personal data. One of these tools is synchronization of contacts, passwords, applications, calendar entries, etc. But what if such an important element of the OS stops working properly?
One of the common problems in this case is the lack of synchronization of the user's contact list. Such a failure may be short-term, in which case after a certain time the exchange of data with the Google cloud is restored.
It's another matter when the termination of contact synchronization is permanent. We will talk further about how to correct such an error in the system.
Troubleshooting Contact Sync Issues
Before performing the steps described below, you should double-check whether the device is connected to the Internet. Just open any page in a mobile web browser or launch an application that requires mandatory network access.
You should also be sure that you are logged into your Google account and there are no problems with its operation. To do this, open any application from the Good Corporation mobile application package, such as Gmail, Inbox, etc. Better yet, try installing any program from the Play Store.
And the last point - auto-sync must be turned on. If this function is activated, the necessary data is synchronized with the cloud automatically without your direct participation.
To find out if this option is enabled, you need to go to “ Settings» - « Accounts» - « Google" Here in the additional menu (vertical ellipsis at the top right) the item “ Automatic data synchronization».
If all of the above points are in perfect order, feel free to move on to ways to fix the contact synchronization error.
Method 1: Manually synchronize your Google account
The simplest solution, which in some cases can be effective.
1. To use it, go to the device settings, where in the “ Accounts» - « Google»select the account we need.
Then in the additional menu click " Synchronize».
If after performing these steps, synchronization began and completed successfully, the problem is solved. Otherwise, we try other ways to resolve the error.
Method 2: Removing and Re-Adding Google Account
This option is even more likely to fix the problem with syncing contacts on your Android device. You just need to delete your authorized Google account and log in again.
1. So, first we delete the account. You don't need to go far here: in the same synchronization settings " accounts"(see Method 1) select the second item - " Delete account».
2. After which we simply confirm the selected action.
Our next step is to add the newly deleted Google account to the device again.
1. To do this, in the menu " Accounts"Operating system settings, you need to click on the " Add account».
3. Then follows the standard procedure for logging into your Google account.
By adding a Google account again, we start the data synchronization process from scratch.
Method 3: Force Synchronization
If the previous troubleshooting methods do not work, you will have to “cheat,” so to speak, and force the device to synchronize all data. There are two ways to do this.
The first method is to change the date and time settings.
1. To do this you need to go to “ Settings» - « date and time».
Here, the first thing you need to do is disable the “ Network date and time" And " Network time zone" and then set the wrong date and time. After this, we return to the main screen of the system.
2. Then again go to the date and time settings, and return all parameters to their original state. We also indicate the current time and current date.
As a result, your contacts and other data will be forcibly synchronized with the Google cloud.
Another option for forcing synchronization is using a dialer. Accordingly, it is suitable only for Android smartphones.
In this case, you need to open the Phone application or any other “dialer” and enter the following combination:
*#*#2432546#*#*As a result, you should see the following message in the notification bar indicating a successful connection.
Method 4: Clear cache and delete data
A very effective method of dealing with contact synchronization errors is to completely delete them and clear the associated data.
1. Open the Contacts application and through the additional menu go to “ Import Export».
2. In the pop-up menu, select the item “ Export to VCF file».
3. Then we indicate the location where the backup file to be created will be saved.
Now let's start clearing the cache and contact list.
1. Go to the device settings and then to “ Storage and USB drives" Here we find the item “ Cache data».
Contacts with Google provides a large number of benefits. For example, if you use contact synchronization, then you don't need to worry about transferring them if you change your phone. In addition, synchronized contacts can be managed from a computer through the Google Contacts online service. Therefore, you should not refuse to use this function. Now we will tell you how to synchronize contacts on Android with Google.
Enable synchronization of contacts on Android with Google
If synchronizing contacts on Android with Google is not working for you, then most likely it is disabled in the settings and you just need to enable it. To do this, go to the Android settings and find the “Accounts” section there. This section will display a list of all accounts in various services that you use on your Android smartphone. In this list you need to find your Google account and open it.
After this, a list of data that can be synchronized with your Google account will appear. Here you need to check the box next to “Contacts” and click on the “Synchronize” button.
Android will then sync your contacts with Google.
Add a Google account for synchronization
If, when you try to enable contact synchronization, you find that there are no Google accounts added to your Android device. Then, click on the “Add account” button
Enable display of contacts from your Google account
In some cases, contacts that have been synced do not appear in the Contacts app and the user cannot access them. In such a situation, you need to launch the Contacts application and open the application's context menu. This can be done using a hardware button on your Android phone or tablet. If there is no such button on the device, then you can call the context menu using the button in the application interface. Once you have opened the application's context menu, select "Show contacts".
After this, a list of contact sources that you can use will appear. Here you need to select your Google account.
Your Google-synced contacts will then appear in your Contacts app.
Where is it better to store contacts - in the memory of a mobile device or on a SIM card? In the event of a planned transition to service by another mobile operator or when purchasing a new mobile device, in principle, there is no difference. Today, transferring phone numbers does not even need to be done manually, because modern mobile devices are equipped with the function of exporting and importing contacts. Without taking into account force majeure circumstances, the memory of a mobile device will outperform the memory of a SIM card in terms of convenience of data presentation. The smartphone's memory provides unconstrained conditions for naming contacts, while SIM cards strictly limit the length of characters, especially in Cyrillic. You can also combine contacts in the smartphone’s memory into groups, set different ringtones, photos, pictures for subscribers, specify an E-mail, etc.
But the SIM card will be useful when resetting the settings of a mobile device, as well as in the event of its destruction. In this case, of course, the SIM card itself should not be damaged. But if both are destroyed or if you lose your mobile device with contacts, you will either have to say goodbye or make efforts to restore them. In such cases, what mobile operators can usually do is offer call details for a certain period. The most reliable way to store contacts for owners of Android gadgets is a Google account. And not only reliable, but also convenient due to cross-platform. We will talk in detail about the advantages of storing contacts in a Google account and how to transfer data from the phone book of an Android device or SIM card to it in this article.
1. Contacts trusted by Google
After clicking the button to add a new contact in the phone book of the Android device, before opening the data entry form, we will see a request to select the storage location for the contact - mobile device, SIM card and Google account. What benefits will we get by choosing the latter for storing contacts?Storing contacts using a Google account is a guarantee that nothing will ever happen to your data. Today, Google is at the peak of its power, and its potential will last for another couple of decades to come. If there's a safer place to store data than the search giant's servers, it's a paper notepad locked in a fireproof, waterproof container. Even when switching to a mobile device with an operating system other than Android and the ability to synchronize directly with a Google account, contacts can be transferred using the universal vCard export-import file (file with the “.vcf” extension). This, in particular, is supported by Apple devices.
You can change your Android device every day or reset its settings to factory settings; your contact book will be restored a couple of seconds after connecting your Google account and completing the synchronization process. The necessary conditions for this are the presence of the Internet and an active auto-synchronization function, if not the entire account, then at least the contacts application.
Now about the cross-platform mentioned above. You can manage your Android device contacts in a browser window on a computer running any desktop operating system - be it Windows, Mac OS, or Linux. The Google Contacts web service is an interface for working with phone book data stored and synchronized on mobile devices. Edits made to contacts within the web service will be available in the phone book of the Android device either within a few seconds if the Internet is connected, or when it appears. And vice versa: contacts edited in the smartphone’s phone book with an active Internet connection will appear in the Google Contacts web interface.
2. Google Contacts web service
The Google Contacts web service, authorization in which is carried out through a single Google account, can offer convenient functionality for creating and editing contacts, the ability to combine subscribers into groups, search for similar contacts, import-export data, and the ability to restore contacts at any time within the previous 30 -ty days. Plus, the web service displays contact information for Google+ circles - friends, family, acquaintances, subscriptions on the social network itself and on YouTube. These contacts are not synchronized with mobile devices; they are available only in the web interface of the service. But with just one click they can be copied to contacts synchronized with Android devices.And contacts synchronized with Android devices are presented in the main window of the web service, also known as the “All contacts” section. To create a new contact, click the button at the bottom of the browser window.
Enter the subscriber’s name and click “Create”.
We fill in the required fields of the form, if desired, we can add a photo and click “Save”.
Existing entries are edited and deleted using the buttons at the end of each individual contact's line.
Having selected the desired subscriber, directly from the Google Contacts web service window, you can call this subscriber through another Google service - Hangouts. True, calling mobile operator numbers in this way is not a cheap pleasure. And before that, of course, you need to top up your account balance.
3. Connecting a Google account on an Android device
In most cases, connecting a Google account to your Android device is only a matter of time. Without authorization using a single Google account, some of the capabilities of the mobile device simply will not be available. In particular, this applies to access to the Google Play application and game store. Fortunately, creating a Google account is very simple. In case one has not yet been created or connected, on your Android device go to the “Settings” section and click “Add account”.
In earlier versions of Android, this settings section is called “Accounts and Sync.” Inside it you need to click the “Add account” button.
Select an account, respectively, Google.
4. Transfer existing contacts to your Google account
We've figured out the benefits of storing contacts in a Google account, we've looked at connecting it on an Android device, now it's time to put things in order in the phone book. With new contacts, everything is simple - what you will need to do in the future is when creating them, select where they are stored in your Google account. What to do with old entries in the phone or SIM card memory? How to transfer them to your Google account without unnecessary red tape? Let's look at this process using Android version 4.4.2 as an example.On your smartphone, go to the contacts application and select “Settings”. In other versions of Android, this may be a button with three vertical dots or a touch button on the smartphone panel. In the settings we need the “Import-export contacts” section.
In it, select the “Custom import/export” item. In other versions of Android, the option labels may differ, but the essence will be the same.
In the list of sources for obtaining contact data, we indicate either a phone or a SIM card. If you need to export data from both sources, we first work with one, then repeat the procedure with the other. Click “Next”.
The next step is to select the location where the contact data should be transferred. Accordingly, select a Google account. Click “Next”.
In a couple of seconds, you can go to Google Contacts and work with data in the web interface.
But Android is a whimsical platform. In some cases, the described option may not work and may freeze at the stage of exporting data to a Google account. In this case, you can resort to the method of exporting/importing contacts using a universal vCard file format. In the same version of Android 4.4.2, having selected “Import-export contacts” in the phone book settings, select another item – “Export to storage”.
An action confirmation window will appear, where the path to save the vCard file with exported contacts will be indicated.
Now the vCard file should be imported using the Google Contacts web service. By opening its location path in the file manager of the Android device, we can transfer the vCard file to the computer using any available communication channels.
Or we can transfer this file to a computer by connecting a smartphone to it using a USB cable. To import a vCard file by the Google Contacts web service, a computer does not need to be involved. The web service can be opened in a smartphone browser window, but the screen size of not every Android device will make this process quick and convenient. In the Google Contacts web interface, click the “Import” function and select “Import from a CSV or vCard file.”
The Google Contacts website has been switched to the Material Design style, and some of the capabilities of the web service in the new interface format do not yet work. But these opportunities open up when you switch to the old interface format in a new tab. Click “Go to previous version of contacts”.
Click “Import contacts”.
In the window that appears, click the browse button labeled “Select file” and specify the path to the file with exported contacts (remember, its extension is “.vcf”). Next, click the “Import” button.
After this, all entries in the smartphone’s phone book will appear in the web interface of the Google Contacts service.
Importing and exporting contacts is also possible using third-party applications from the Google Play store. But there is no need for them, since the standard Android functionality can completely cope with these responsibilities. Thus, even the old version of Android 2.3 supports the ability to transfer contacts to a Google account from the phone’s memory or SIM card. In the contacts application, you need to call up the settings with the touch button and select “Merge with Google”. This is the option to transfer contacts to a Google account, however, only for entries in the phone’s memory. To transfer all contacts to your Google account, you first need to copy those stored on the SIM card to the phone's memory. This is done by clicking the “Import-export” inscription and then selecting the “Import from SIM card” item.
5. Force synchronization of contacts on Android device
If changes to contact data made in the web interface of the Google Contacts service must be urgently displayed in the Android device's phone book, and synchronization is delayed, this process can be forced. Go to Android settings, select the “Accounts” section (in earlier versions of the platform, as mentioned, this section is called “Accounts and synchronization”), select “Google”.
We enter the synchronization parameters.
We find the “Contacts” item and by clicking on it, we force synchronization of the phone book.
Synchronizing data with a Google account is a useful feature that almost every Android phone has (not counting devices aimed at the Chinese market). Thanks to this feature, you don't have to worry about the safety of the contents of your address book, email, notes, calendar entries, and other branded applications. Moreover, if the data is synchronized, then it can be accessed from any device; you just need to log in to your Google account on it.
On most mobile devices running Android OS, data synchronization is enabled by default. However, various failures and/or errors in the system may well lead to this function being deactivated. We will tell you how to enable it further.
1. Open " Settings» of your smartphone using one of the available methods. To do this, you can tap on the icon on the main screen, tap on it, but in the application menu, or select the corresponding icon (gear) in the curtain.
2. In the list of settings, find the item “ Users and accounts"(may also be called simply " Accounts" or " Other accounts") and open it.
3. In the list of connected accounts, find Google and select it.
4. Now tap on the item “ Synchronize accounts" This action will open a list of all branded applications. Depending on the OS version, check the box or activate the toggle switch next to those services for which you want to enable synchronization.
5. You can do it a little differently and force synchronization of all data. To do this, click on the three vertical dots located in the upper right corner or the “ More"(on devices manufactured by Xiaomi and some other Chinese brands). A small menu will open in which you should select “ Synchronize».
6. Now data from all applications connected to your Google account will be synchronized.
Note: On some smartphones, you can force data synchronization in a simpler way - by using a special icon in the curtain. To do this, you need to lower it and find the “Synchronization” button there, made in the form of two circular arrows, and set it to the active position.
As you can see, there is nothing difficult about enabling data synchronization with a Google account on an Android smartphone.
Some users by synchronization mean data backup, that is, copying information from Google branded applications to cloud storage. If your task is to create a backup copy of application data, address book, messages, photos, videos and settings, then follow these steps:
1. Open " Settings"of your gadget and go to the section " System" On mobile devices with Android 7 and lower, you will first need to select the " About the phone" or " About the tablet", depending on what you are using.
2. Find the item " Backup" (may also be called " Recovery and reset") and go to it.
3. Set the switch " Upload to Google Drive"or check the boxes next to the items " Data backup" And " Auto recovery" The first is typical for smartphones and tablets on the latest OS version, the second - for earlier ones.
After completing these simple steps, your data will not only be synchronized with your Google account, but also saved to cloud storage, from where it can always be restored.
Common problems and solutions
In some cases, syncing data with your Google account stops working. There are several reasons for this problem, fortunately, they are quite easy to identify and eliminate.
Check the quality and stability of your Internet connection. Obviously, if the mobile device does not have access to the network, the function we are considering will not work. Check your connection and, if necessary, connect to stable Wi-Fi or find an area with better cellular coverage.
If you do not enable Google account synchronization on Android, then you can forget about such a convenient feature as accessing contacts from any device with Internet access or creating a backup copy of data.
This article is suitable for all brands that produce phones on Android 9/8/7/6: Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, LG, Sony, ZTE, Huawei, Meizu, Fly, Alcatel, Xiaomi, Nokia and others. We are not responsible for your actions.
Reasons why Google and Android synchronization fails
Enable Google synchronization with Android
To understand the synchronization settings, you first need to know where to enable this feature.
- Go to "Settings".
- Open the “Accounts” section (“Personal data”, “Accounts”).
- If you don't have a Google account inside, you need to add one. You can create a new account or add data from an existing Google profile - login and password.
- Click on the added account to open its settings.
- To enable synchronization, move the switches next to the necessary services - contacts, Google Play Music, Google Fit, Google Photos, etc.
- To start synchronization right now, call up the additional menu and select “Synchronize” in it.
Increase By default, app data, calendar, and contacts are synced. If you want to automatically synchronize photos with the Google server, you will have to install the Google Photos application. In its settings there is an item “Startup and synchronization”, after activation of which the photos will be sent to cloud storage.
Automatic photo syncing will continue to work even after you delete Google Photos. To disable it, you need to go to the application settings and move the “Startup and synchronization” switch to the inactive position.
Increase Additional manipulations will also be needed to synchronize mail from the Gmail application. In order for data to be sent to the server, you need to check the “Gmail synchronization” checkbox in the client settings. If mail synchronization does not work, clearing the phone's internal memory of unnecessary files (if the storage is full) or deleting Gmail data will help.
