Deleting contacts from "device" storage

[anon67808]

Is there an easy way to delete contacts that are stored in the "device" storage? I'm not talking about contacts synced to my Google account but rather the contacts that you actually save to the device storage.

The reason I'm asking is because I recently just converted about 300 contacts from device to my Google account and unlined all the device contacts from their respective google contact counterparts. Now, even though it's not affecting anything that I know of, I have in essence duplicates of each contact on my phone because of the device and Google entries.

If I go to settings-applications-all-contact storage and clear data, this will just affect the device storage correct? Google synced contacts shouldn't be affected because they are synced to the Google account correct?

Also, anyone know a quick and dirty way to erase contacts off a SIM card? I've never in my life had to do it.

 

[B. Diddy]

Clearing the Contact Storage data should not affect your Google contacts, because they can sync right back. That's probably the quickest way to get rid of the Device account contacts. The other way would be to manually delete each one, but obviously, that would be pretty tedious.

 

[Rukbat]

Google contacts are stored on your phone and backed up on Google Drive. It's not duplication. (If you have phone service, but no data service, and no contacts stored on the phone, you have no contacts and have to manually dial your calls.) Google Contacts isn't for your phone to use to dial contacts, it's for you to use if something happens to the phone. (It's also easier to perform a few functions on the site than it is in the phone.)

 

[anon67808]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'll think I'll just roll with it as is rather than messing something up. All my Google contacts are not linked with the device contacts so we'll leave it at that.

 

[B. Diddy]

Google contacts are stored on your phone and backed up on Google Drive. It's not duplication. (If you have phone service, but no data service, and no contacts stored on the phone, you have no contacts and have to manually dial your calls.) Google Contacts isn't for your phone to use to dial contacts, it's for you to use if something happens to the phone. (It's also easier to perform a few functions on the site than it is in the phone.)

I think what oldirty9014 is saying is that he now has a set of contacts associated with his Google account, and the same set still associated with the Phone account. Since they're separate contact accounts, they display as duplicates.

There might be a "Join Contacts" feature--I know this was around back in the Ice Cream Sandwich days, so I assume it's still around. It's one way of solving the duplicate issue.

 

[anon67808]

I think what oldirty9014 is saying is that he now has a set of contacts associated with his Google account, and the same set still associated with the Phone account. Since they're separate contact accounts, they display as duplicates.

There might be a "Join Contacts" feature--I know this was around back in the Ice Cream Sandwich days, so I assume it's still around. It's one way of solving the duplicate issue.

When I set up my N4, I guess when I entered all my contacts one by one, I entered them as "device" contacts. I wanted to change them to "Google" contacts so I did one by one. Now I have a Google contact and device contact for every entry however they are not linked and I have only the Google contacts to show so no visible duplicate entries are in my phone book.

 

[cvail]

I had this a few years back. I exported my contacts, put that export file somewhere safe, deleted all contacts on phone and on Google (made sure both were clear), imported the export file to Google on desktop, let google desktop clean up duplicates.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[worwig]

I have multiple accounts. A real mess of contacts and calendars.
Over the years I have ended up with duplicates of everything when I would experiment and mistakenly turn on an account. More than once I have had to remove my Google (and ALL other) accounts on my phone. Delete all of the contacts and calendars that I can. Then turn back on JUST the account that I want synced. For some reason it can be very difficult to delete contacts that are on the phone, or on and account that you no longer have synced. It is like they are in a contact database that you can't get hold of to clean up.