Accdentally disabled contact storage app & now I cant access my contacts

[Android Central Question]

I have Norton Antivirus & it told me that the Contact Storage app was a privacy risk & was sharing my information with an unknown source. So I disabled it, not realizing I wouldn't be able to even find it again to re-enable it. Now I have lost all my contact information & I can't restore my contact back up. I need help URGENTLY!!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! This is why so many antivirus and security apps (even ones from respectable names like Norton) are more trouble than they're worth on Android devices. Go to Settings>Apps, tap Menu>Show System, and look for Contact Storage. Select it and Enable it.

Here's my spiel about antivirus on Android devices:

For the most part, it's still quite difficult to get an actual virus on your phone, because malware requires you to manually accept the installation (which is why they try to fool you into thinking you're installing something legitimate). Use common sense:


1. Avoid shady websites that deal with things like porn, gambling, and "free" (aka pirated) apps/music/movies.


2. Never ever tap on a link that appears in a popup while browsing, especially if they're warning you that your phone is infected -- they're just trying to scare you into installing some bogus "antivirus" app that is probably malicious itself.


3. Only install apps from well-established app sources like Google Play Store or Amazon Appstore. Read a bunch of app reviews before installing an app to look for any complaints about adware or suspected malware.


4. Turn on Google Play Protect features in Settings>Google>Security. This allows Google to periodically scan your phone's apps to look for malware.


5. Turn off "Unknown Sources" in Settings>Security. This prevents any app that wasn't obtained from Google Play Store from being installed (which could include malicious apps that are inadvertently downloaded).