Help Forgive a Dumb Question - Phone Contact vs. Google Contact??

[scudder]

Hi...

New to Android with my EVO purchase. I'm learning...trying...

Have a dumb question: what exactly is the difference between the "Phone" contacts and the "Google" contacts?? Is it just that one is saved and synced with Gmail and the other resides on the phone??

Other than the fact that the Google contacts sync with Gmail and you have a nice "cloud" backup always in place, is there a BENEFIT to using one vs. the other??

Thanks!!

Scott

 

[scudder]

Hi...

New to Android with my EVO purchase. I'm learning...trying...

Have a dumb question: what exactly is the difference between the "Phone" contacts and the "Google" contacts?? Is it just that one is saved and synced with Gmail and the other resides on the phone??

Other than the fact that the Google contacts sync with Gmail and you have a nice "cloud" backup always in place, is there a BENEFIT to using one vs. the other??

Thanks!!

Scott

I'm NOT so new (it's been 2 MONTHS from my post with no answer!!) but STILL plenty dumb quoting MYSELF to see if there are any answers to my question above??

 

[archie70]

No benefit in using one over the other IMO, however once a contact gets saved in the google server you can potentially do more with the contact. The phone contacts can be synced with your PC with HTC Sync to outlook, etc...

Im trying to figure out if I can do both witout manually inputting twice.

 

[optikalillusi0n]

I always wondered this too. Cheers.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Aren't phone contacts only stored locally on the phone vs. google contacts backup to your gmail account... plus as mentioned, you can do MUCH MUCH more with your contacts while logged into gmail.

 

[Connectz]

The benefits are pretty much what everyone else said. If you save your contact to gmail, you can do more with it. Its much easier to set up groups and all that stuff cuz you can do it right from gmail or google voice on your desktop.

Plus, if something happens to your phone, your contacts are all there for you in the "cloud" to download to your phone again. If you store them on your phone and forget to back them up to your pc, you run the risk of losing them.

 

[Albie999]

Are you able to convert a phone contact into a google contact without having to re-enter them all back in, in the google list

 

[Mr. Ed]

You can export them to you sd card and then import them to google via a desktop or laptop....you cannot change them in the phone

 

[ovrrdrive]

Storing contacts on google is the way to go. If they're on google you can manage and edit them on the computer too which is nice when you get a bunch. If you get into rooting it's nice too because you can wipe the phone and the contacts ust magically reappear. That's really handy especially if you wipe it several times a day playing with different roms...

 

[Mr. Ed]

yeah I have never added a "phone contact" I was just telling my gf last night that I don't even understand why it would be an option lol

 

[takirb]

I like the "phone" contact option 'cause i don't necessarily care for my social contacts to be mixed in with my business contacts in gmail. If i only have 20 business contacts, but 450 social contacts (thanks facebook), i don't care to have all 470 showing up in my gmail. Unfortunately i don't have a choice though, as all my contacts sync'd to my gmail without me knowing, and when i flashed a ROM last week they all magically appeared thanks to gmail. Cool, yet not so much.

Oh, and i have 2 gmail accounts setup on my phone (1 for work and 1 for personal use), and it sync'd all my contacts to both accounts unfortunately, and i don't remember asking it to

 

[Mr. Ed]

I understand what you mean...i guess I just don't have that many contacts

side notes
you can remove/pick and choose which of those facebook contacts show up
facebook contacts don't sync to gmail, at least on the way I have mine set they do not

 

[takirb]

When I look at mine now, it shows 0 phone contacts and all others are Google contacts (even the ones from facebook). I checked and dont see a sync or not sync setting, but somehow they all synced up cuz that's how they all got back on my phone after I flashed the ROM I even exported a backup of "phone" contacts before rooting, and thought it was odd i never had to import them back in.

I'm sure I can edit my contacts on both gmail accounts and my phone, but that's a hassle when you got alot lol