backup Contacts with group intact

[GoNavy]

Is there a backup app for contacts that with keep the group settings. I don't mean copy a group. I want to backup all contacts with the group labels as well. When I sync with Gmail contacts or backup to SD (CVS file) all my contacts become My Contacts and I lose the different labels family, friends, coworkers etc...this is really irritating. Takes a long time to go through over a hundred contacts to put them back in their correct groups. What I want is an exact mirror of the way it is setup in my phone..backed up, so if reset my phone and restore it, I don't have go through this yet again. I would love to have the Google sync turned on, but for now it is turned off, because of this bug, if that is what it is...GMail contacts doesn't have a way to setup groups within the contacts that I can see...which is probably why it keeps reverting to My Contacts for everyone.

 

[chanchan05]

If you set up the Groups in Gmail instead of on the phone, it will be reflected on the phone as well. This does not work vice.versa though. Just manage your contacts directly on your PC.

 

[valorian]

If you set up the Groups in Gmail instead of on the phone, it will be reflected on the phone as well. This does not work vice.versa though. Just manage your contacts directly on your PC.

+1

This is what I do.

What you could try is export your contacts from your phone as a CSV file. Then delete all your contacts from your phone. Take this CSV file to a PC and import them into your GMail contacts list. From there add any groups or make any other changes you like. The next time your phone syncs your Google Contacts all these Contacts along with your changes will transfer to your phone as Google Contacts along with all your changes.

 

[cyrax.thehot]

+1

This is what I do.

What you could try is export your contacts from your phone as a CSV file. Then delete all your contacts from your phone. Take this CSV file to a PC and import them into your GMail contacts list. From there add any groups or make any other changes you like. The next time your phone syncs your Google Contacts all these Contacts along with your changes will transfer to your phone as Google Contacts along with all your changes.

this trick worked out for me...thanxxx a lot for sharing it....

 

[ProfessorMac]

+1

This is what I do.

What you could try is export your contacts from your phone as a CSV file. Then delete all your contacts from your phone. Take this CSV file to a PC and import them into your GMail contacts list. From there add any groups or make any other changes you like. The next time your phone syncs your Google Contacts all these Contacts along with your changes will transfer to your phone as Google Contacts along with all your changes.

I noticed on the Google Contacts web page you can also import your contacts from Outlook as a CSV file. Would this have any advantages or disadvantages over importing from the phone.

 

[jefboyardee]

I went though this headache some time ago. I never did find a Google OS way to sort contacts on the droid in the same groups as shown on the PC, although the droid knew the groups were there. So I went hunting and found Groupy / contact by group. That works, so I got Groupy No Ads, been happy with it ever since. I think the dev has since gone asleep but it doesn’t matter (yet).

I never did try the CSV tricks you mentioned above, but since I don’t need to now, I probably never will. But it’s always good to have an alternate course available.

After all this time waiting for Google to snap out of it, I still can’t believe we have to sit here and try and figure this out -- it should’ve happened automatically, the first time we tapped Sync Now.

 

[ProfessorMac]

The above discussion as to using the Google Contacts site to back up your contacts & groups is moot if you own an HTC Android phone running v 2.3.3 & HTC Sense 2.1. After spending hours researching and backing up my Contacts, my HTC Inspire kept creating duplicates on the phone after contacts were uploaded on the Google site. Even when I cleared the duplicates, overnight and with the Accounts & Sync Background Data [ ] checked, which has to be checked to download app updates, the phone "automatically" checked the [ ] under People/View and Google, and duplicated all or most all of my contacts from the Google site back into the phone. When I unchecked the Google [ ] the duplicates still remained. So I deleted all contacts from the Google site, and closed my People & Contacts apps a couple times and this eventually cleared the duplicates in the phone memory.

I'm still looking to backup my Groups & contacts. I checked out the Groupy app Jefboyardee suggested, but the reviews were not great. The other apps I saw were DW Contacts, Dial Pro, Contact Editor Pro, and Ex-Dialer & Contacts. I need to re-review these for the best one for groups and backup.

This issue is even more critical for me as I use the phone as an "assistive device" for memory (cognitive) problems from a brain injury some years ago. The Coleman Institute in Colorado several years ago thought Android would be the future in assistive cognitive devices. But from my experience in replacing this broken HTC phone, it doesn't appear they get it. I've written web content on assisitive tech, and a few years ago was encouraged to write a proposal on assistive phones for the industry. But I never did. I will tell hands down your Contacts app is your phone's most important app. I'm very creative with it. I'm disappointed with HTC and Android over this OS flaw.

If you have any thoughts on a best backup & groups solution, please share. Thanks.

 

[Crashdamage]

I use GoContacts on my HTC Amaze. It keeps track of my Google contacts organized by groups perfectly.

 

[R4d30n]

After conducting a factory reset, my phone lost IMEI numbers.
Before sending the device to local center, I made a search at google and found a shortcut to write IMEI. I could rescue my phone, but I lost all contacts and other phone settings.
I had made several backup before making a factory reset.
But the restored contacts had no GROUPs intact.
I use Go Contacts EX https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=GO+Dev+Team
It has a feature to backup, but when I check the exported VCF file (VCard 3.0), I found no GROUPs recorded. But, it is still lucky that this Go Contacts could make a collective grouping by giving a mark at the end of contacts list (no need to open the contact one by one). Still looking around a backup app which supports GROUPs.
I have tried Listables https://play.google.com/store/apps/...SwxLDEsImNvbS5hbG9zdHBhY2tldC5saXN0YWJsZXMiXQ..

This App could record installed apps (so that we could re-download and re-install them) and contacts. It can save contacts in the format of CSV, but when I tried to read the file with many editor/viewer, I did not find any reference to my GROUPs. I have set the Google Format in the setting preferences.

If anybody here know a backup app which supports Groups (Go Contacts EX), please kind let me know. Thanks.