No contacts for Android Email program?

[Android Question]

I can't seem to find any way to add contacts to the Generic email program that comes with Android 4.2 on my Iconia tablet (it doesn't have any kind of address book). How do I add or import/use contacts with it?

 

[Hadron]

Add the email contacts to your devices phonebook - the email program should pick them up from there.

 

[mikenowo]

hmm I don't have a phonebook option or app that I can see on my Acer Iconia A1-810 tablet that is using Android 4.2 :-/

 

[mikenowo]

Try to change your email to receive it.

er change my email to receive what exactly? The phonebook? If so, how do I do that? Where would I be receiving it from and what is the option?

 

[Hadron]

The phonebook app is often called "Contacts". You can also access it via the phone dialer app, though I guess a tablet would not have that.

 

[mikenowo]

Ok I found an app called 'People' on this Acer Iconia device and when I add a Tablet contact (you can add to Google or Tablet) it then finds it in the Email app. Too bad there isn't an import option of some kind.

 

[Hadron]

Ah, that'll be it.

Can you not sync it with your GMail account? Look in Settings > Accounts and Sync > Google, select the Google account name, and then see whether contact syncing is enabled. Then you should be able to import contacts from your GMail account at least.

 

[mikenowo]

Well I dont use my gmail account for email I just use it for google functions (to log into google+ etc). I have a separate ISP email I've been using for decades.

I imagine synching to my google account wouldnt give me access to the contacts from the generic email app that has my main email setup

 

[Hadron]

No, you're right there.

There are tools for syncing to Outlook, so if you could import the contacts to that app you may be able to do it. I don't use Outlook, so have no experience of this.

If you can get your email contacts exported to a vcard file (.vcf) and copy that to your device you may be able to import it into the People app. That's a standard Android contact management feature (if you look at your contact list on the device then pull up the settings there should be an Import/Export feature, which reads from/writes to a vcard file).

 

[mikenowo]

Ahh excellent! I *can* import vcards to the 'People' app and I *can* create vcard files from my email program on my PC so that's definitely a solution. Thanks!