Syncing Contacts with Google

kitwms · Oct 10, 2013

Several people have suggested that I sync my contacts with Google. OK, how exactly do I do this? People have said, sign on to google and it's all automatic.

First of all, I'd like some verification that my Contacts have been sync'ed before I shut down my existing phone and fire up a new one. I cannot find where -- with my phone -- that I can view my contacts on Google's website. When I go from my PC, I can clearly see in GMail that my phone Contacts are NOT there at all.

Second, with the Gmail app on the phone, I cannot find where you can view and manage Contacts like you can on the PC view.

Help .. anyone? How do I do this sync procedure? What am I missing?

Rukbat · Oct 10, 2013

All contacts you entered as your Google contacts, not as "phone" contacts, will be synced to your Google account if you enable Sync contacts in that account's data (in Settings/Accounts).

If you have your contacts set to phone (that's the default, until you enter one as a Google contact, then Google becomes the default), about the only universal way I've found to convert them to Google contacts is to export them, then import them on the Google Contacts web site. Delete all the Phone contacts in your phone and sync it to the website.

Do the same on your new phone (enter the account and enable contact syncing) and the phone will sync up with the web site.

kitwms · Oct 11, 2013

OK, here we go ...

First, I have no idea what you mean when you say "All contacts you entered as your Google contacts, not as 'phone' contacts." On my phone, I just enter contacts, that's it. I don't enter them as any particular kind of contact. (On Google's web site, I don't enter ANY phone number contacts. The only ones I have there came from my import of email-addresses-only from Outlook. So you lost me there.

Second, I don't know what you mean by "If you have your contacts set to phone (that's the default, until you enter one as a Google contact, then Google becomes the default)." Again, none of that makes any sense to me.

Third, I don't know what you mean by "to export them [contacts], then import them on the Google Contacts web site." I don't know how to "export" contacts and I don't how to "import" them on the web site. So I'm doubly lost on that one.

Fourth, I don't know how you would safely "Delete all the Phone contacts in your phone." Sounds like a disaster to me!

Fifth, I don't know how to "sync it [whatever 'it' is] to the website [whatever website you mean]."

Sixth, on my new phone I don't know what "enter the account" means nor how to "enable contact syncing."

I must apologize because I'm sure you guys are all used to talking to others that have loads of Android phone experience. I'm clearly not one of them. I know Gmail on my PC which I only use occasionally for when I am traveling with my laptop. I have spent 40 years in IT (even building websites) but have never -- until now-- jumped into the smart-phone world. Or any "world" that involved "syncing" one thing with another. So I apologize but terminology that most of you think should be second-nature goes right over my head. I back up everything on my phone manually & frequently (music, playlists, pix, vids, docs, downloads, etc.) by USB-tethering to my PC. Only Contacts elude me because the OS doesn't let me "see" them in Win Explorer, hence the mystery. (And, if by chance there's a way to "see" them I'd sure like to find out what that method is.)

Thanks for trying to help me.

kitwms · Oct 11, 2013

Someone told me precisely what steps done.

For info of others in my same boat: On your Phone go to Settings and press Accounts & sync. You should see your google account (e.g. dude@gmail.com) under Manage Accounts. (If it isn't there touch "Add account" and enter it.) Then press that account name. Then you either see a "Touch to sync now" or Press your menu key and it should read "Sync now." Press the item and syncing supposedly occurs.

Call me untrustworthy but where can I go verify that this sync has been done correctly?

I did do this with Verizon (my carrier) and, on their website, they clearly missed several of my contacts, so I am very suspicious of the integrity of this "syncing" business.

chanchan05 · Oct 11, 2013

Doesn't matter if you activate sync if the contacts aren't saved as Google contacts. They won't sync. In a Samsung phone, when you go to the Contacts app, there should be a little blue "g" icon next to the contacts that are saved as Google contacts. Only those with that icon will sync to Google. You can check in Gmail on a PC browser to see the contacts if they synced.

If your contacts aren't saved as Google Contacts, you have to transfer them.

mrsmumbles · Oct 11, 2013

They all synced automatically on my Kyocera & LG phones to/from my associated gmail accounts.

But to be sure do the sync steps again, and sync both within the phone and from inside Google settings.

Rxpert83 · Oct 11, 2013

If you sign into your account on Google (your gmail account) you can view your synced contacts.

This is most easily achieved from a computer.

kitwms · Oct 14, 2013

OK, only a couple of my phone contacts have the G next to them. I do know -- now -- how to add a Contact as a "Google Contact," but that didn't solve my problem; I've got over 250 contacts.

So, finally ... I did the "Export to the SD card" on the phone (Contacts>Menu>ImportExport>Export to SD Card)
and you get one huge vcf file in a folder called external_sd. copy it over somewhere. Then go to GMail on your computer, pull down the menu from Gmail, select Contacts, Then select Import Contacts. Navigate to wherever you copied the vcf file and Boom. They're now all in Gmail ready for SYNC.

Jschmitt · Oct 14, 2013

If you go into your contacts on your phone. You click on your menu key on your device and select "merge account" and select "merge with google", it will then take all of your phone contacts and set them to google contacts. Once that happens then you will want to make sure your device is set up to sync contacts on your phone. To do this you will need to go to settings, accounts, click on your google account and then click on the user name. You will want to make sure sync contacts is checked. To confirm they have been stored on your google account. You will log into your gmail on a computer. Once you are at your inbox you will click on "gmail" with the drop down arrow at the left of your screen and select contacts. Once you click on "contacts" you should see all of you contacts display on the screen. Let me know if this helps.

saptech · Oct 14, 2013

kitwms said:
OK, only a couple of my phone contacts have the G next to them. I do know -- now -- how to add a Contact as a "Google Contact," but that didn't solve my problem; I've got over 250 contacts.

So, finally ... I did the "Export to the SD card" on the phone (Contacts>Menu>ImportExport>Export to SD Card)
and you get one huge vcf file in a folder called external_sd. copy it over somewhere. Then go to GMail on your computer, pull down the menu from Gmail, select Contacts, Then select Import Contacts. Navigate to wherever you copied the vcf file and Boom. They're now all in Gmail ready for SYNC.

Once this is all fine & done, using the phone, for new contacts you need to make sure you're saving as a Google contact and not Phone contact.

kitwms · Oct 15, 2013

Jschmitt said:
If you go into your contacts on your phone. You click on your menu key on your device and select "merge account" and select "merge with google", it will then take all of your phone contacts and set them to google contacts.

Thanks for trying to help. However, my Android version does not have that functionality. The Menu key pulls up Delete, My Profile, Backup (Vzw version), Import/Export, Get Friends and under More: Accounts, Speed dial, Send email, Send msg, and Display Options. And, I'm sorry but I cannot figure out what OS version my old phone (~2010?) has. I think it's 2.??. (Froyo or Gingerrbread?). Again, thanks.

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