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How can I recover deleted contacts and/or call history?

Now from my perspective this is how a forum should operate where members come together to elaborate and eradicate any issues concerning Android devices :thinking:
 
lunatic59 said:
Look at the dates on those files, @KBU2 . One is from May of this year and the other is about a year older than that. If it were part of a regular ongoing backup, then there would either be more of them or they'd be more current. However they got there, they are not part of Android/Google automated backup or sync. You must have either exported them at one point (maybe to switch devices?) or you tried an app and then deleted it. In any case, these are probably something the OP doesn't have unless they'd ever exported or backed up contacts using a manual or 3rd party solution. And I don't think it would include call logs. I did search my phone for any .vcf files on internal and external storage and even looked in the system as deep as it would let me go without root. File not found. I do have my contacts set to sync and use backup and restore for apps, so I should see what you do if it's part of the Google process.

@ElisavetKat , I am guessing that this is a pretty recent event. Where did you get the number in the first place? Maybe you can get it that way? Just looking for alternatives here.
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Well the only thing I know of is when I add a new contact it will go to the most recent folder. May of this year would be it but I have also noticed that the date doesn't change but it just adds to that location. Maybe this infraction works differently on some devices. I was using my g6 but now I'm currently using a Alcatel fierce 4 5056n build B7-PUPP3.
 
Oh something I may add, all of my business, contacts, scheduled dates and banking information is infused in Google's security infrastructure. Maybe that plays a part in how Google structures information on your devices because it seems the more stuff I add the more security levels Google make changes to on my devices. Versus a party that only text, call, chat and play games on their devices.
 
Once I accidentally put the wrong password in more than 3 times and Google lock my device up and prompt me to make a user authentication call to unlock may device. Hmm I wasn't expecting that but I was very impressed with that.
 
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It seems that I'm out of any luck if root isn't a chance either. That's what I don't understand; I made that call. It reached the other phone number. Why wouldn't that be recorded? I did contact them, but they said that missed calls aren't completed calls and therefore, they aren't recorded. It rang on the other end, it certainly hit their network. Why don't they have a record of it? Yes, the number was in my contacts. I can't stress enough the need and importance of finding that number. It's been two weeks. I wouldn't try so much to get back just a number, unless it was for a very important reason and unfortunately, it's the only way I had of ever finding it again. I contacted the staff at the store of my phone carrier, and they told me to go to another store that has a service department for mobile phones. There, I was told that it's not possible. Someone told me that missed calls aren't recorded anywhere, that I am just losing my time, and someone else told me that it might be possible, I just have to find and ask the right person, that the staff wouldn't know about that. But I don't even know who the right person is. My mobile phone is Samsung J3 2016, on android 5.1.1.
 
ElisavetKat said:
It seems that I'm out of any luck if root isn't a chance either. That's what I don't understand; I made that call. It reached the other phone number. Why wouldn't that be recorded? I did contact them, but they said that missed calls aren't completed calls and therefore, they aren't recorded. It rang on the other end, it certainly hit their network. Why don't they have a record of it? Yes, the number was in my contacts. I can't stress enough the need and importance of finding that number. It's been two weeks. I wouldn't try so much to get back just a number, unless it was for a very important reason and unfortunately, it's the only way I had of ever finding it again. I contacted the staff at the store of my phone carrier, and they told me to go to another store that has a service department for mobile phones. There, I was told that it's not possible. Someone told me that missed calls aren't recorded anywhere, that I am just losing my time, and someone else told me that it might be possible, I just have to find and ask the right person, that the staff wouldn't know about that. But I don't even know who the right person is. My mobile phone is Samsung J3 2016, on android 5.1.1.
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When all fail try Samsung customer service:
+1-800-726-7864
 
KBU2 said:
I may add, all of my business, contacts, scheduled dates and banking information is infused in Google's security infrastructure.
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This is what doesn't make sense to me. If this was part of Google's security or backup it certainly wouldn't be writing it to a public file on removable storage in a format that anyone could import. And, that file date would change anytime it was modified.

ElisavetKat said:
but they said that missed calls aren't completed calls and therefore, they aren't recorded.
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They are only partly correct. The calls are not recorded for billing purposes, but I'm sure the network traffic is logged somewhere in their system. It could be that they aren't allowed by law or company policy to divulge that information, even to the person who placed the call. Again, that's just an assumption as to the reason.

Let's backtrack for a minute. You said the number was a contact. How did the contact information get erased?
 
lunatic59 said:
This is what doesn't make sense to me. If this was part of Google's security or backup it certainly wouldn't be writing it to a public file on removable storage in a format that anyone could import. And, that file date would change anytime it was modified.



They are only partly correct. The calls are not recorded for billing purposes, but I'm sure the network traffic is logged somewhere in their system. It could be that they aren't allowed by law or company policy to divulge that information, even to the person who placed the call. Again, that's just an assumption as to the reason.

Let's backtrack for a minute. You said the number was a contact. How did the contact information get erased?
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The contact got erased by me removing one or more my vCards when I was cleaning multiple contacts from different accounts that got logged into my devices stock contact list.
 
I have multiple accounts that's linked together with Microsoft accounts, Outlook and Google a few others.
 
I had the same thoughts on why it worked that way but it became noticeable when I became a Windows Insider and Google was continuously sending me security check-up alert about linked accounts on my devices. Oh the files are password protected so even if my device is open they still have to use a password to get to those files.
 
I ran a small business from my smartphones without the use of any type of laptop or desktop computer. Most of my apps I use is from F-DROID which I came across a few incompatibility issues down the way.
 
ElisavetKat said:
Someone deleted it from my phone.
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Did you try the file manager I mentioned earlier to see if you can retrieve it from there? Even if someone deleted from your phone it will still be on one of your vcf or vCards in your device root folders.
 
One may say I use my Android devices way outside of the norm on how most people use their devices. So there may be many methods I use that most are not familiar with to achieve my objective that most not familiar with yet.
 
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KBU2 said:
Did you try the file manager I mentioned earlier to see if you can retrieve it from there? Even if someone deleted from your phone it will still be on one of your vcf or vCards in your device root folders.
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You are missing the point. Unless @ElisavetKat performed a manual backup or had an app that did that in the background, vCards and .vcf files will not exist in their root or any other folder. Why they are on your phone is still a question but it's not typical Android behavior.
 
lunatic59 said:
You are missing the point. Unless @ElisavetKat performed a manual backup or had an app that did that in the background, vCards and .vcf files will not exist in their root or any other folder. Why they are on your phone is still a question but it's not typical Android behavior.
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Now you see my point because I can't explain that either I just know that it is there and it was nothing that I did to make those modification happen. I thought I knew everything about Android devices but I found out that I didn't but I did find out was I learned more about trial and error. So that takes me to apps permissions writing, removing, reading material on your device and so forth. Oh it may I add I'm not the typical Android user
 
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I tried, but I couldn't find that file in the file manager. Thank you all for taking the time to reply and help me. It means so much. You are all amazing. I will contact my carrier one last time and then Samsung support. Thank you. I hope you all have a great day!
 
I didn't have any luck with Samsung support after all. Another dead end. They just said that I was referring to something that didn't concern Samsung. I'm absolutely furious at how easy someone can mess up your whole life and then just vanishes; and there is no way you can find them again. I can't go to the police because the evidence is gone and I have nothing on that person, other than that data file which I really wish I could have access to. This is beyond ridiculous. There must have been a way to recover contacts in such serious situations, or at least the missed calls.
 
ElisavetKat said:
I can't go to the police because the evidence is gone and I have nothing on that person
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You've indicated that it is very important and serious for you to retrieve that number, but you've not given us much detail about the situation. That's fine, but if there is something that is criminal going on, then you'd be better served contacting the police and explaining what you suspect to them. Granted, they may tell you the same thing, but if they can investigate further, they'd have much more clout with your carrier in getting the logs with respect to your account.

ElisavetKat said:
other than that data file which I really wish I could have access to
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If you are referring to the protected system database as "that file", then it wouldn't do you any good. Anything deleted from contacts is deleted for good. If you are referring to a .vcf file that was suggested might contain the number you are looking for, then that would only exist if you (or an app) created it in the first place. Everything you've said so far indicates that you didn't export or backup your contacts, so there won't be anything there for you to retrieve.

ElisavetKat said:
There must have been a way to recover contacts in such serious situations, or at least the missed calls.
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Without knowing exactly how serious the situation is, we can only guess, but as I suggested before, law enforcement will have greater access than the average citizen.

To prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future, i would first suggest you sync your contacts with Google, or, if for some reason you have an issue with that, use a backup app to store a copy OFF your phone and use it regularly. I would also suggest that you use a pin or pattern lock on the screen and that you don't let other people use your phone. Since you say that the number was a contact, and that the call log was also deleted, then this had to have been done by someone with physical access to your phone.

I'm sorry you lost this number, but that's about all anyone here can do for you.
 
So I stopped trying to recover the lost data. And today I downloaded an app that doesn't work on rooted phones and it didn't work on mine (?). So I downloaded another app to check if my device was rooted and it says that it is! I have no idea how this happened. I did try to root my phone some time ago, but it always said that the root failed. Is there any chance I can still get that phone number given the fact that my phone is rooted or not? I'm giving up completely if that won't work either.
 
The app that is claiming your device is rooted is most likely looking for certain files on your phone rather than actually checking root access. False positive.

Even if you were rooted, I doubt that you'd be able to find anything useful. Root is simply gaining access to protected system files. It can't make deleted data reappear. I'm pretty sure you are SOL.
 
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