Do not understand how contacts sync with Google?

[AC Question]

Do not understand how contacts sych with Google

Contacts on my S4 show either no icon, a Google icon, a phone icon, or both. Contacts w/o the Google icon do not appear in my Google email contact list. How can I get contacts on my phone without the Google icon over to my gmail contact list, which will presumable make the Google icon appear on the phone contact? And what does it mean when a contact on my phone has no icon associated with it? Or just the phone icon?

I appreciate your help!

 

[Crashdamage]

Re: Do not understand how contacts sych with Google

Contacts can be stored in 3 places.

1. As Google contacts. These are stored on the phone and synced to your Google account (unless sync is turned off).
2. As Phone contacts. These are stored locally on the phone only and not synced.
3. As SIM contacts. Unlike 1+2 above, only names and one number per name can be stored. No addresses, email info, photos, etc.

You have saved some contacts as Google (aka Gmail) contacts, some saved in phone storage, some to the SIM card, and apparently some in two places.

You really should get all your contacts in one place, your Google account . To get everything there, export all the non-Google contacts as a .vcf file. You will do a .vcf file for SIM contacts and a .vcf file for phone storage contacts. Import the .vcf files to your Gmail contacts, either from the phone or transfer the files to a PC and import from there. Your user manual will cover just how to do all this in more detail.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.