How do you setup your new phone and setup contacts setup

[spman]

I am a android smartphone first time user (Samsung S4)

1) What are the things that you should do to the phone? (antivirus? best settings?...)

2) How do you setup contacts (save to SIM/phone...?)

Thanks

 

[Crashdamage]

1. No antivirus is needed. As for 'best settings' that is far too broad of a question to answer. A lot depends on how and what you need/want the phone to do.

2. Your phones' user manual will explain in detail. I highly recommend saving all contacts to your Google account (IOW, as 'Google Contacts'). This provides automatic backup and easy restoration should you lose or break the phone, among other advantages. SIM contacts can only have names and numbers - no email or house addresses, notes, photos, etc. Don't bother with SIM contacts.

Really, as a new user the best thing to do is read the manual and learn all you can from that. Then post back here with more specific questions.

 

[spman]

Would it be better to create a new Google account for the contacts? I assume I would need to login to Google so that the contact list will appear, I think contacts is needed at all times so my phone is always logged into Google at all times? I heard of virus on android so I am not sure if it is safe to use main email Google account on my phone.

Will my contacts see my Google account username address (gmail)? (I mean is the gmail address displayed to the people on my contacts, something like skype the other party can see your skype email address and skype name)

For question 1), I mean I wanted to know the basics that you would do (your preferences) after getting a new phone. (for example if someone is new to Windows PC, I would tell them to install Microsoft Security Essentials, Install Chrome...)

 

[Crashdamage]

Your Gmail address is your Google account. Save your contacts to that.

Don't worry about viruses. No antivirus is needed.

My original answer regarding settings still applies.

 

[Hadron]

Google contacts are stored on the phone, just backed up to Google. So you can use your contacts when you are not connected to the Internet just fine.

There are no _viruses_, ie no self-propagating malware you can catch just by opening an email or visiting a website. There is malware, but it has to fool you into installing it. Only install apps from reliable sources (avoid sites that offer free downloads of paid apps - they are a prime source of malware), and apply a bit of common sense (e.g. if a flashlight app wants access to your contacts or messages you should be suspicious) and you will be fine.

I'm afraid I agree that question 1 is too broad: for example in your PC analogy you suggested 2 apps which I personally don't use. The first things I do (apart from rooting the phone, which if you are new to Android I don't recommend as a starting point) would be to install my preferred email client, SMS app, calendar apps, music player and a few browsers, and change the launcher. But there are built in versions of all of those and many people are fine with them. Conversely someone else might install or set up their preferred social networking apps, cloud services, set up syncing with Exchange, or other things which I don't use at all. So beyond the basics of getting your contacts onto the device and setting up a Play Store account it's really a matter of what you want to do with the phone and what your tastes are.

 

[spman]

Google contacts are stored on the phone, just backed up to Google. So you can use your contacts when you are not connected to the Internet just fine.

1) What steps do you need to do so that the Google contacts are stored on the phone?

2) How do you do the backup "just backed up to Google"

3) Are the Google contacts stored on the phone and the Google contacts in the Google account synced?

4) When I meet a new friend and I want to add his contact into my Google contacts, do I need to turn on phone data connection, or connect to the internet?

5) Do I always need to on data connection so that Google contacts will appear in my phone?

6) What do you mean "not connected to the Internet just fine"? Do you mean not turning on the data connection on the phone or do you mean not going into a browser and log into Google Account or something else?

Thanks for your patience and answers.

 

[spman]

There are no _viruses_, ie no self-propagating malware you can catch just by opening an email or visiting a website. There is malware, but it has to fool you into installing it. Only install apps from reliable sources (avoid sites that offer free downloads of paid apps - they are a prime source of malware), and apply a bit of common sense (e.g. if a flashlight app wants access to your contacts or messages you should be suspicious) and you will be fine.

Just to make sure I understand correctly, only chance of getting malware on a phone is by installing apps that contain malware. On a phone, I will not get malware by opening malware links in mobile browser, download/open malware files, visiting a malware site, and the different ways like a Windows PC gets its malware?

Antivirus app on the phone is just to detect the malware inside apps/when you are installing apps?

 

[Blackflag4]

Yes, pretty much the only way to get any malware would be for you to install it yourself. Only use programs from the play store or in some cases Amazon and you'll be fine.
I use antivirus software but only for the fact that I install stuff from outside of the safe sites at times. Not recommended unless you are more familiar with your phone.

 

[Crashdamage]

1. Whenever you save a contact as a Google contact it is also saved on the phone.

2. Contacts saved as Google contacts are automatically backed up online to your Google account. You can also do a manual backup copy by exporting contacts as a .csv file. Consult your manual for details.

3. Google contacts are stored both on the phone and in your Google account and do sync by default. You can turn sync off if desired.

4. No, you can add the contact to your phone. It will sync to your account next time you have a data connection.

5. No. The contacts are on the phone.

6. ???

 

[Hadron]

6. "you can use your contacts when not connected to the Internet just fine". Or to rephrase "you can use your contacts just fine when not connected to the Internet".

The only difference between a "Google contact" and a "phone only contact" is that the Google ones are _also_ synced with your GMail account. You can add a Google contact while disconnected and it will be backed up when you next connect. As long as you have contact syncing enabled in Settings > Accounts and Sync this is all automatic.

You won't be infected unless you install an infected app. There are sites which will download apps if they detect an android phone visiting them, but you'd still have to install it to become infected (and anyone dumb enough to think "oh, I've got an app I didn't download myself in my downloads folder. Let's install it and see what it is" shouldn't have a smartphone!).

By default your phone settings will not allow installation from "unknown sources", i.e. anything other than the Play Store. You need to change that if you want to install from elsewhere - if you don't it's virtually impossible to pick up malware (one or two cases have made it into the Play Store, but it's rare).

 

[spman]

1. Whenever you save a contact as a Google contact it is also saved on the phone.

Where can I find this setting that enable/disable whenever you save a contact as a Google contact it is saved on the phone or not saved on the phone?

 

[Crashdamage]

Google contacts are *always* saved on the phone. There is no option to disable that.

 

[spman]

Google contacts are *always* saved on the phone. There is no option to disable that.

How can I see the Google contacts that are saved on the phone?

Does it mean that in the phone the first time I use Google contacts in my Google account. The phone will automatically make a copy of all the contacts in my Google account and save a copy into the phone? Is it saved to the memory card or phone memory?

Thanks.

 

[Crashdamage]

How can I see the Google contacts that are saved on the phone?

Open the contacts app. All Google contacts are saved on the phone.

Does it mean that in the phone the first time I use Google contacts in my Google account. The phone will automatically make a copy of all the contacts in my Google account and save a copy into the phone?

The first time you use the phone, use a replacement phone or if you wipe the phone clean as in a factory reset, when you log into your Google account your Google contacts (if you have any saved) are automatically downloaded to the phone. After the initial download (sync), changes, additions and deletions to contacts automatically sync between the phone and Google account.

Is it saved to the memory card or phone memory?

Internal phone memory.