Can Lollipop use phone storage for contacts?

Jul 3, 2015
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I'm running Android 5.1.1 on my Xiaomi Mi2S. When I ran MIUI, I used to have a whole phonebook stored in my internal memory. Before migrating to Lollipop, I backed it all up in a .vcf file. The problem is, in my contacts app, under the section "Contacts to display", there is no "Phone Storage", only my Google, Whatsapp, Viber etc. accounts!

I want my number to be stored locally in my device, not to be sent to some other service so that I must sync to it and visualize what I have stored there. My contacts must belong to me alone, not to Google!

My Mi2S used to be a phone, first of all, I could store numbers in it to call them when I wanted, but with Lollipop all of this seems lost! It looks like Google thinks I'm not allowed to have a cellphone, or at least that making phone calls isn't the primary function of a smartphone, so it can be sacrificed to no consequence just for them to put their hands on always more and more private information!

I'd like to use Android's default contacts app, so can you tell me if there's a way to use my phone storage in it? If that is not possible, it's okay to know an app that can, too. All alternatives to Contacts I have found can just read what Contacts has in it.

Thanks for your help, have a nice day!
 

Crashdamage

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Jan 18, 2015
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Just turn contacts Sync off in Settings > Accounts > Google > Select your account. Contacts will be saved to the phone and only to the phone.

However, IMHO this is not a good idea.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.
 

Rukbat

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Of course, the first time your phone has to be factory reset, or gets physically broken, you'll wish you'd have made them all Google contacts. (You don't "sync to it and visualize what I have stored there", you have the contacts stored physically on your phone - and synced to a secure Google server. It doesn't work any differently than if the contacts are all Phone contacts - until you can't get into the phone to get the contacts. Then you put that account into another phone and it has all your contacts in it in a few minutes.)
 
Jul 3, 2015
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Just turn contacts Sync off in Settings > Accounts > Google > Select your account. Contacts will be saved to the phone and only to the phone.

However, IMHO this is not a good idea.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.
Thanks for the answer! I know it may sound stupid and uncomfortable, but I'm the kind of guy who prefers to do his backups manually when he wants and store then somewhere locally. I don't believe in cloud, neither in automatic things happening continuously, or silently behind your back at scheduled time.

That means I backed it all up in a vcard. Isn't there any way to use it? To use my phone memory must I add manually each bummer separately?

Edit: now that I think about it, I tried it, but he asks me where to save the contact. Meaning, to which account. No local phone storage option is available.
 

Crashdamage

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You must save it to an account, but you don't have to send the info anywhere. Just disable contacts sync and it will stay on the phone and only on the phone. The info is saved to your account, yes, but **only on the phone**. This could be handy later if you change your mind and decide automatic cloud backup of your contacts is a Good Thing after all. Your contacts will already be in your account, all you would have to do is enable sync to send them off. You really should. Really.

I made my position on this earlier here:
http://androidforums.com/index.php?posts/6926097

You can use the .vcf file. Just open the Contacts app, tap Menu and choose Import. Very easy.
 
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Thanks for the answer, I'll do that. Anyway, just for you to know, I don't wear a tinfoil hat, nor I'm concerned about "3-letter government agencies" spying me (even if in Italy we are comfortable with using more than three letters for an acronym). I know that to avoid that you should live in a cave eating animals you eat with a mace, and that still wouldn't probably be enough. I read it on [website edited out].

I just want to decide what to do with my device. Otherwise I would have bought an iPhone. It's not just about the price, really, it's about the philosophy and freedom of use.

If all, I'm concerned about Google making money on me without leaving me the opportunity to have a word in this. If you subscribe to Facebook, you are willingly doing this, but it's sad Google needs to make FB such a sneaky and unfair competition with a silent social network very few people really wants but almost all have. I know I'm using an OS made by Google, but I'm still not 100% convinced that is enough for me to be forced to have a Google account. Before, I could do without Play Store, get free apps almost anywhere and paid ones on Amazon. Now, without a Google account I can't have a phonebook. I see the YouTube ripoff happening again. The sad thing is they get an enormous share of their profit from the Linux kernel. I'm thinking about making an Exchange account, despite my hatred for MS, rather than linking to Google all my contacts, even if without sync. I know it's a joke, bit I tend to be quite stubborn on matters of principle.

Enough with my rant, I know nobody cares, not even me, but then please do not insist on telling me my position is senseless.

I know that we're practically forced to submit to the current if we want progress, otherwise I could still have my 3310 and stop annoying the hell out of everyone, but still it's a bummer my girlfriend's Mediacom S551U with 4.4.2 has "Phone Storage" option in contacts, and she doesn't need to have a Google account to use her phone, while I do not have a choice. "Then flash 4.4.2, be a retrograde and shut up".

Really, I'll quit blathering. I promise. Don't think I'm ungrateful, thanks for your help, really. I'll decide which account I'll use to save my contacts and keep them offline.

Have a good day and I hope I'll get your help when I'll have a question which isn't a huge whine :)
 
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Jul 3, 2015
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I wrote an useless and overly long answer, but somehow got deleted. I just explained my position and noted no one, including me, cared, so I guess we are well fit without it and I won't repeat the waste of time.

I'll just rewrite the part where I say thank you.

Edit: it was just under approval haha
 
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Crashdamage

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Thanks for the thanks, it's appreciated. I did get to read your reply, it came in an email notice. I don't agree with a lot of it, but I understand your point olf view. Except about Exchange. I just cannot wrap my head around why anyone with your point of view would want anything to do with Exchange. It makes no sense.

Remember, Google really doesn't force you to use your Google account for anything that's made public or sent to Google. You need it to access the Play store, but you don't have to do even that if you don't want to use Play. Nowadays with some new phones you have to save contacts to your account but you don't have to sync anything. You don't have to use Gmail. Just use your account to register the phone during initial setup and leave the sync stuff off.

But again, IMHO that is not a good idea. I take advantage of this stuff. It works. I use cloud services extensively for both private and business use and have for a long time. I just use common sense and I'm not worried about it. I've been online since 1986. Even after all this time online and extensive use of the cloud including of lots of services like Google Voice, Google Drive, Dropbox, Insync, CloudHQ etc etc you can do searches for my real name and nothing is available. Maybe my old landline number or home address. Nothing much. None of our information in the cloud has leaked.

And pay nothing for most of this. Nothing to Google. We get a LOT of stuff free from Google.

I ain't afraid of no Google...
 
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Jul 3, 2015
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I've been online since 1986.

[self-irony]It's ok, you missed 1984[/self-irony]

No reason apart from my periodic anti-Google rage, I don't think I'll really ever do Exchange. It's more like a fake threat nobody will never hear, kinda like those that grumpy old men grumble out in front of the TV.

The problem isn't what the average Joe can find googling, bit what he can't 'cause the information is passed to those who know what to do with it only. Not for secret police, just for something worse: targeted ad

Maybe years from now I'm gonna found Googlebusters. I'll be careful not to cross the strings.

Guess we can close here, again thanks for your help!
 

Tajinder Singh5

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Nov 29, 2015
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I have Moto E2 (2nd Gen) LTE device with Android Lollipop. My question is very simple... Why there is no option to Display "Phone Contacts" ? Is it the problem with Moto E2 or Lollipop platform ? It is really annoying.
 

Numbawon

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Aug 15, 2016
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Thanks for the answer, I'll do that. Anyway, just for you to know, I don't wear a tinfoil hat, nor I'm concerned about "3-letter government agencies" spying me (even if in Italy we are comfortable with using more than three letters for an acronym). I know that to avoid that you should live in a cave eating animals you eat with a mace, and that still wouldn't probably be enough. I read it on [website edited out].

I just want to decide what to do with my device. Otherwise I would have bought an iPhone. It's not just about the price, really, it's about the philosophy and freedom of use.

If all, I'm concerned about Google making money on me without leaving me the opportunity to have a word in this. If you subscribe to Facebook, you are willingly doing this, but it's sad Google needs to make FB such a sneaky and unfair competition with a silent social network very few people really wants but almost all have. I know I'm using an OS made by Google, but I'm still not 100% convinced that is enough for me to be forced to have a Google account. Before, I could do without Play Store, get free apps almost anywhere and paid ones on Amazon. Now, without a Google account I can't have a phonebook. I see the YouTube ripoff happening again. The sad thing is they get an enormous share of their profit from the Linux kernel. I'm thinking about making an Exchange account, despite my hatred for MS, rather than linking to Google all my contacts, even if without sync. I know it's a joke, bit I tend to be quite stubborn on matters of principle.

Enough with my rant, I know nobody cares, not even me, but then please do not insist on telling me my position is senseless.

I know that we're practically forced to submit to the current if we want progress, otherwise I could still have my 3310 and stop annoying the hell out of everyone, but still it's a bummer my girlfriend's Mediacom S551U with 4.4.2 has "Phone Storage" option in contacts, and she doesn't need to have a Google account to use her phone, while I do not have a choice. "Then flash 4.4.2, be a retrograde and shut up".

Really, I'll quit blathering. I promise. Don't think I'm ungrateful, thanks for your help, really. I'll decide which account I'll use to save my contacts and keep them offline.

Have a good day and I hope I'll get your help when I'll have a question which isn't a huge whine :)

You are quite correct. You dont have to wear a tin hat, bra or undies to want to keep your personal data private. This is not paranoia, it is commonsense. And when you are making manual backups to .vcf file and saving it on a reliable hdd you do not need no 'cloud' to steal your data.
 
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