deleting contacts from sim card

[Taero]

Am I missing something here? I had my contacts connected to my gmail, then decided to see if I could put them on the sim and still use a picture for them (protip, you can't ) then I decided to go back to [g] contacts and thus would need to just delete the ones on the sim else I'd have multiple ones.

So off I trot, hold down for the context menu, hit delete and then BAM "Failed" er...what? I'm not allowed to delete my own contacts if they're on the sim card?! What, do I have to mount it to the pc and go looking for them or something? That's ridiculous if so, I'm hoping I'm just missing something obvious...

 

[TnTahoe]

i couldnt figure it out either, so i went to att and just got them to give me a new sim lol

 

[android4rumuser]

I haven't figured out a way other than deleting one by one. When I tried this, it allowed me to delete a few and then there was a force close (I don't know what caused it) and subsequently I could not delete any more. I did a restart and tried again. I was able to delete the rest.

 

[thindery]

If you don't want them to show up on the contacts list you can click phone, contacts, then do settings. Deselect the sim.

This was also helpful with my facebook contacts. I have hundreds of people I have met over the past few years through classes, social gatherings, etc. I didn't want them all to show up on my contacts list, but I did want the people I actually talk to to have their facebook stuff. Deselecting the Facebook option removes all facebook contacts from the contact list, unless you already have them in gmail. Then it keeps their gmail record but syncs the facebook one with it too so you get their pics and other facebook stuff too.

 

[kak]

Search for "Contact Remover" in the Market. You can batch delete contacts. Unfortunately, it doesn't differentiate with icons or allow you to filter. The way it displayed on my phone was "name 1, name 1, name 2, name 2" etc.. with the first name of every repeat being the sim entry. Export your contact list to your SD first in case you delete something on accident.

Its worth noting that re-tying your entries to facebook will still create dual entries in SMS entry (it doesn't 'fill in the blanks' for matched contacts, it pulls down all available info and then links.. really inefficient imo).

 

[jackrock]

If you don't want them to show up on the contacts list you can click phone, contacts, then do settings. Deselect the sim.

Wish I had seen this before I deleted all my contacts off the SIM card one by one. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[thindery]

Wish I had seen this before I deleted all my contacts off the SIM card one by one. Oh well, live and learn.

haha. I had to stop by the att kiosk in my mall and some worker showed me how to do it, but she didn't change the setting for me. So I walked away and for the life of my could not figure out how to find the setting again. It took me 15 minutes to "refind" it (i wasn't going to go back and ask again ).

it's a tricky feature to find.

 

[sremick]

Use this free app:

Click on "Contacts on SIM card", click the Menu button, choose "Delete all SIM contacts". Voila.

 

[Taero]

Well...I just did that, deleted them and they went, then I clicked my contacts button and just got a black screen ... no nothing so I'm rebooting to see if it comes back

 

[Taero]

Was about to get worried there, I got it, loaded it up, clicked delete on the two sim contacts, they went and then I tried to use my contacts button and all I got was a black screen, home buttoned out tried again, black screen...restarted the phone and got it back but the contacts were there, however now I was able to delete them when it wouldn't let me before. Bizarre, however all's well that ends well no more sim contacts for me

 

[3gAndroid]

The only reason to keep contacts on the sim these days is if you plan to go back to a dumb phone. Or.. don't have a computer.

Even at that... the limited entries and mapping conflicts kill any advantage that storing them on the sim could offer. There are too many other ways to store your contacts on your computer, or in the cloud.