Help Copy contacts to sim card

[peter7769]

Hi Folks
My Desire needs to go back for repair and i need to copy my contacts on to my sim card so i can use the sim in another phone.

i have tried a few apps but they all keep telling me the sim card is either full or locked (its got no contacts on it)

Does anyone know of a free way to do this, i have found a program but it was abouyt

 

[PureLoneWolf]

Depending on what the temporary phone is that you are going to use the SIM in...you could still use Google Sync to get the contacts down. I have done this on a Nokia N95 and Blackberry Storm before I headed over to Android.

Seeing as your phone is currently sending your contacts there, makes sense to bring them down the other way. IIRC, SIM cards can only hold 100 numbers (or something) and no data beyond the name and phone number

 

[peter7769]

Thanks but its a really old sony erricson so no chance of that, i have just found that the software i was looking at comes with a 30 day free trial with no limitations so might give that a try tonight and see how i get on.

But im open to any other suggestions, does seem crazy that you cant do this on the phone itself, if you move to another phone from android then you are kind of stumpped!!

Cheers

Pete

 

[Deleted User]

does seem crazy that you cant do this on the phone itself, if you move to another phone from android then you are kind of stumpped!!

Android doesn't support exporting to SIM card (most phones don't do this), just importing as they expect you to have contacts on your card and bring them into the phone. It doesn't make much sense to go the other way round as it means you lose a lot of extras since the SIM will only hold names and numbers up to about 250 contacts, and no extra numbers, no birthdays, no email addresses, etc.

If you have a lot of contacts, try an app. If you only have a few that need to be added, you can do it manually by typing in the name and number of the contacts and adding it as a new SIM card contact. When in the contacts list, press + Add contact, tap Contact type down arrow and select SIM, tap OK to acknowledge loss of extras, then enter the info and save it.

I always keep a copy of all my contacts on my SIM as backup, and I always add new contacts to my SIM first, then add into the phone. If I ever lose my contacts in the phone for some odd reason and can't sync them online either, I have the name and number of everyone I need and can rebuild from there. And if I ever have to use an older phone (I have a Motorola Razr in the drawer for emergencies), the names and numbers are on my SIM ready to be used.

 

[Harry2]

You can copy contacts to SIM
but you can only each contact individually copy to SIM

> People > choose a contact > press Menu Button > More > Copy to SIM

Harry

 

[Deleted User]

You can copy contacts to SIM
but you can only each contact individually copy to SIM
> People > choose a contact > press Menu Button > More > Copy to SIM
Harry

Hey you're right, didn't notice that one. It's slow for sure, but at least it works and you don't have to enter it manually.

 

[peter7769]

Thanks very much for the replies, I knew about being to copy one by one so guess I will just add the main ones i need, but another odd one is that when I copy one by one some copy ok but others copy but they don't put the name in! Only realised after I had copied 20, then had to try and work out who's number was who's!

Pete

 

[Harry2]

Contact at the SIM without a name is only if I use the second copy method:
This is a long press on the contact name.

Over the Menu button (like in my post above) there is no such problem

Harry

 

[peter7769]

Contact at the SIM without a name is only if I use the second copy method:
This is a long press on the contact name.

Over the Menu button (like in my post above) there is no such problem

Harry

Sorry Harry but i've just tried your method and i still end up with just the numbers on the sim, with no name

Pete

P.s I dont get the option to copy to sim with a long press, I only get....

call mobile
edit contact
delete contact
send contact as vCard.

 

[Harry2]

Maybe an another solution:
'MyPhoneExplorer'. Sync to PC over USB or WiFi.
This famous tool for SonyEricsson is also avaible for Android.

The SE version is able to copy the contacts to SIM.

The Android version I haven't tried yet.

EDIT: by the way, what is the name of your program about

 

[Harry2]

....
P.s I dont get the option to copy to sim with a long press, I only get....

call mobile
edit contact
delete contact
send contact as vCard.

You have to choose the contact.
Then press long the phone number.
But like I said, only the phone number would copied.

Harry

 

[peter7769]

Hi
yes i have downloaded that one, might have to give it a try..

The one i was talking about is actually $29, take a look..

SIM card editor - mobile phone card management software - create, edit and backup phonebook entries using PC - Dekart SIM Manager

Pete

 

[peter7769]

You have to choose the contact.
Then press long the phone number.

Harry

ah yes i see, but with both options sometimes it still just puts the phone number as the contact name!!, will just be a bit careful with it and also try the software, will keep this thread updated as to how i get on, but just waiting on the repair envelope to turn up from TMobile.

Pete

 

[peter7769]

Hi All
Well i downloaded sim manager 2 but I'm afraid it wasn't compatible with the built-in sim card reader i have, guess I'm just going to have copy them one by one and keep my fingers crossed that I'm not without my Desire for too long.

Thanks for all the help & advice.

Pete

 

[Cougar]

I suspect that you're going to run out of space on the SIM (hence the original error) before you get all your contacts across.

I'd be looking to sync with the replacement phone (via Google export / Outlook) rather than faff about with SIM cards.

 

[peter7769]

Thanks, but I have less than 100 contacts so they should go on the sim no problem, like I said I will just copy the main ones and that will do.

Cheers pete

 

[Donny Tee]

I have the same problem, all new sim cards only allow for 100 contacts now. If you change phones like I just have or you phone dies like many have in the past, you lose contacts. I have 144 contacts stored on my old phone, 230 I used to have, but have lost a lot due to phones dying. How do business people go if their phone dies? Sim manufacturers don't think beyond their own little dream world. People say just store them on your phone, but the idea of storing them on both is for safe backup, you cant ring someone from google back up or any sync.

 

[Hadron]

If you sync them with Google you can reload them to another phone. If you export them to sd (select settings from the People tab, look for manage contacts then import/export - may vary slightly with model and software version) you can import them to a new device.

SIMs have never stored the number of contacts I have, and remember that a SIM contact has one name and one number only (so a contact with multiple numbers uses multiple SIM contact entries), no address or other information. So SIM contacts are simply inadequate for many/most people. And SIMs fail too, so I'd not rely on them either (I've had more SIMs die than phones).

 

[Donny Tee]

I've had the same sim in the last 4 phones. But they were Samsung crap too. Why would I sync them with google when I cant ring from google? Is it not faster to export to sim than to sync online or backup online, then restore them again? Double the work, triple the time. Older sims used to store up to 500 contacts, Kogan still sell those sims, but the bigger companies are forcing us away from them. I've never had a sim die or play up on me, only phones.

 

[Hadron]

Yeah, experiences differ, but I can assure you that SIMs die: I've had 2 do so in 20 odd years, whereas I've never had a phone die on me. Hanging around the forums I've seen both die (and also SD cards).

But remember it's the carrier who is the SIM manufacturer's customer, not you. So the lack of higher-capacity SIMs isn't because the manufacturers can't be bothered to make them, but because the carrier doesn't want to buy them (why pay more for higher-capacity SIMs when very few people are storing contacts on them now?). So if you need this then the people to complain to are the carriers, not the SIM manufacturers.

 

[mikedt]

For information, I've lost a phone before now, and lost the SIM along with it of course. Easy enough to get a replacement from the carrier, but if I had all my contacts stored on the SIM and nowhere else, I'd have lost them.
Also if you change carrier, you have to change SIM of course.