Android Help Please

[McsChick]

First off I apologize if this is in the wrong forum. I have not frequented forums in years but if I remember correctly, people used to get upset when threads were put in the wrong spot. I could not find a correct location for help though.

My husband has a droid. For the third time since he has purchased it, the phone has lost his contacts. Though he has them saved on his work computer, they are not saved on google. I was able to get to his favorites and export his favorites to the sd card. I then tried to import them into his contact file but it only imports one person. I cannot figure out what is wrong or what to do.

Thanks for any help, I sincerely appreciate it. Please remember I am helping out my husband. I do not know very much about the Droid itself, I am still working with a flip phone :-/ I get to upgrade soon.

 

[sitlet]

So you are trying to get all his contacts into his google account so they automatically sync with the phone? What program or email are his contacts in now?

Generally, you can just export all the contacts to a file, then login to gmail on a computer, and go to Contacts, and import that file. Then they will sync with the phone.

 

[novox77]

Contacts can be tricky. One of the biggest points of confusion is that there are different types of contacts. A phone contact is one you created with the phone. A Google contact is pretty much anyone you've ever emailed with Gmail. When I ported my old phone contacts onto my current Android, those were created as Phone contacts.

As part of the Gmail app, you can sync contacts. If you do this, all of the Google contacts get put on the phone. Even people you've only emailed once show up as a contact in the phone. Clearly this isn't desired. So I no longer have Gmail sync contacts; only email and calendar.

So the question is: what type of contacts were lost? Were they phone contacts or Gmail contacts? My phone is an Evo, so the UI won't be the same as your husband's Droid, so I can't give you specific instructions on how to tell the difference. But if you post your question in the Motorola Droid section, someone there may be able to give you more specific advice.

Assuming you get the contacts back, I suggest getting an app like MyBackup. It can back up your contacts, call log, SMS history, homescreen settings, application settings, etc. There's a free version and a paid version.

Funny, your husband has the smartphone, and you have the flip phone. Yet you're the one on the forums seeking help for his phone. hehe. More power to ya

 

[McsChick]

So the question is: what type of contacts were lost? Were they phone contacts or Gmail contacts?

Assuming you get the contacts back, I suggest getting an app like MyBackup. It can back up your contacts, call log, SMS history, homescreen settings, application settings, etc. There's a free version and a paid version.

Funny, your husband has the smartphone, and you have the flip phone. Yet you're the one on the forums seeking help for his phone. hehe. More power to ya

My husband is sick so I am taking pity LOL.

He has a Verizon Droid - does that help? I am so clueless.

He lost the phone contacts and there are no contacts in Gmail. THe only place I can find contacts is in the Favorites section. So I took the favorites on his phone and backed them up to the Droid's SD card - 280 contacts. Then I tried to import them to his contact list using the file that I saved from favorites. No luck. It only imports one person. I cannot figure this out. I am usually very good with computers and electronics but this has me stumped.

 

[McsChick]

Right now his contacts are non existent except for in the favorites section of his phone and his call log. I tried to export from his favorites to his SD card and then import back into his contact list but it would not work. He has never used his gmail account and the phone never seemed to sinc with it. I even went to gmail and set the contacts back to one month ago and it only stored one person. I cannot figure this out.

 

[mrsbelpit]

You kind of have to get the exact phone model, settings are different on most ui's. I could tell you how export contacts from your sdcard to google on a samsung, but if you get this info we can help you more.

 

[ninja_reject]

Is it a Droid x or Droid incredible or Droid 2 or what? You could try on the forum for that particular model (not mad!)

 

[MyNamesTooLong]

Remember those old things? A pencil and a piece of paper...I bet in the hour you spent scouring for answers(time between your 2 posts) + the time you spent registering, you coulda "backed them up" and have no worries about them being lost

 

[RickFromPhila]

Ok....this is what I did McsChick...hope it helps for you and a few:
(in my case I had to transfer via bluetooth from an old SamSung Upstage, to Evo and convert, etc...indirectly of course...)

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1. I paired the two phones and transferred the contacts (selecting all) from Samsung to EVO (make sure to "allow" or permit transfer, if done by BlueTooth).

2. *The problem with my EVO was that the new contacts were (automatically) put into a group called "phone". In other words they all LISTED as if they were all in one list, but they were actually two separate groups or categories in the EVO. (Use the "view" option while in contacts to see this). The gmail contacts I already had in my phone were in a group called "google". I think THIS is the problem gmail doesn't sync (or doesn't add to what you already have in gmail contacts) - these new contacts are "other", or "imported" contacts. And by the way, there is no way to merge all of the contacts into the gmail group that I'm aware of.

3. Anyway, regardless....once the transferred contacts are on your NEW phone...use the EXPORT option in your contacts to transfer to SD card. *BECAUSE gmail won't sync them, which they may fix later).

4. Once they are exported to your SD card...there is a file, (something like): pcsc_pcsc_00001.vcf. Tell your husband to plug his phone's (phone to usb) adapter into his pc if he has that available connection, or remove the sd card from the phone and put it into the pc's sd card slot.

4. I then logged into google/gmail....and in the Contacts section, I chose the "More Actions" button at the top or bottom of the contacts list...and imported the *.vcf file I mentioned above, (located on the SD card) into the gmail contacts list...and in less than a second...VOILA!

5. "Spring Cleaning Time!" -...the sort order was kinda out of whack, and I had to do some gmail contact list editing...to kind of "neaten" my contact list..and change the name sorting, etc...

6. NOW...since this was a one time import from your old phone...and since those contacts from the *.vcf file are imported into your gmail group or category...you will no longer have sync problems.

>In the future, adding new contacts via gmail contact list or from your new phone will keep everything in Sync!!!

Hope it works out for you....trash the old phone (after a factory reset) and keep the *.vcf file you saved on your PC as a backup just in case you need it one day....