How to back up contacts on Android
Long gone are the days of little notebooks with phone numbers carefully scribbled inside. In these digital times it’s far more likely that the entirety of your friends’ and family’s details are stored in the Contacts app on your phone. That’s why it’s crucial that you back them up regularly, as this not only keeps them safe but also means when moving to a new device you’re much less likely to leave anyone behind.
How to use the Google Contacts app to make a backup
Before we look at exporting contacts and things like that, it’s worth noting that if you save your numbers into the Google Contacts app and have your account set to back up and sync to Google Drive, then they will automatically be saved in the cloud. It can also create entries from contacts stored in other apps, so long as they aren’t kept on your SIM card or are already syncing to cloud services (the example being Exchange).
As most Android phones come with more than one contacts app, the one you want has the icon of a white silhouette inside a blue circle and calledContacts.
Any details you create within this app will be stored in the Google servers and can then be easily restored when you move to a new device, as you just log in with your Google account and they should be there.
To ensure the feature is set up correctly, and to convert contacts from other apps, openContactsand tap the three lines in the top left corner. From the menu that appears selectSettings > Contact sync settingsand you’ll be presented with two settings:Automatically sync Google contactsandBack up & sync device contacts.
On the latter, tapManage settingsand then turn on theAutomatically back up and sync device contacts. You’ll need to confirm your Google account, but once this is done you’ll see yourBackup Accountlisted on theBack up & syncscreen and any contacts (except for the stipulations listed above) on your device should now also have Google Contact doppelgangers.
Back on theContact sync settingspage tapManage settingsunderAutomatically back up and sync device contactsthen ensure that theAutomatically syncoption in enabled.
The last step is the open theSettingsapp on your phone then go toGoogle Settings > Backupand check that theBack up to Google Driveoption is turned on.
If you also have an iPhones, then here’show to back up an iPhone.
How to import SIM contacts to your Google account
While it’s not possible to use the method outlined above to create backups of contacts stored on a SIM card, there is a quick way to do it in a slightly more manual fashion. Go to theGoogle Contactsapp and tap the three lines in the top left corner. From here selectSettingsand then scroll down until you find theManage contactssection. TapImportthen select theSIM cardoption followed byOK.
You’ll now be able to choose the contacts you want to add to the Google Contacts app, which in turn will automatically back them up to the cloud. The same method can also be used to import any contacts stored on your phone in a.vcfformat.
How to export your contacts
Should you want to create a backup of your contacts that you can store on your computer or different cloud storage service, it’s a simple process. Open the Google Contacts app and tap the three lines in the top left corner. Next, tapSettings, scroll down to theManage contactssection and tapExport. You’ll automatically be taken to your Downloads folder with a file at the bottom namedcontacts.vcf. Tap theSavebutton and your backup will be deposited in the folder, leaving you free to do with it as you wish.
For more ways to get the best out of your Google-powered device, take a look athow to set up Face ID on Android,how to copy and paste on AndroidandAndroid 10 tips & tricks.
Author: Martyn Casserly, Contributor
Martyn has been involved with tech ever since the arrival of his ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s. He covers iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, writing tutorials, buying guides and reviews.
