Gmail Account and Contacts

[Wintercreek]

Hi
I'm pretty sure this has been asked a thousand times, but if there is a link to the answer I would greatly appreciate it. I have my phone set to backup my Contacts to my gmail account but when I go into my gmail account, into Contacts, there is nothing. How do I find them, where are they?

Many thanks,
Trish

 

[SpookDroid]

They should there, right where you're looking for them... IF they have been synced. First check the following:
1) The account you're using in the phone is the same account you're trying to access via GMail.
2) Check the SYNC settings in your phone. Make sure that, indeed, contacts is set to sync (and check that the 'last synced' status was successful).
3) Make sure the contacts in your phone are set to be stored in Google, and not just locally or in the SIM card. Local contacts will not be synced to your account. You can go into the Contacts app, click the menu button, select CONTACTS TO DISPLAY and then select your Google account. IF there are any, they should appear here. If not, they're stored elsewhere.
3b) Since this is usually the culprit, you can choose to MERGE ACCOUNTS with Google. This should transfer all of your local contacts to your Google account.

 

[Wintercreek]

I'm hoping this is my answer. In CONTACTS TO DISPLAY it was set to PHONE. The syncing seems to be working now although last night I was getting the Sync Error. I have a recent date/time sync info status now. I'm just not clear on step 3B, how do I merge accounts with Google?

 

[sirmaru]

ATT also backs up all one's contacts to the ATT Address Book on the internet. However, that one only kicks in when one has WiFi turned off.

Their site also allows text messages to be sent and received at that internet site. However, if one uses the ATT Unified Messaging Service,, then the text messaging is not allowed.

 

[SpookDroid]

I'm hoping this is my answer. In CONTACTS TO DISPLAY it was set to PHONE. The syncing seems to be working now although last night I was getting the Sync Error. I have a recent date/time sync info status now. I'm just not clear on step 3B, how do I merge accounts with Google?

With the CONTACTS TO DISPLAY view set to 'PHONE', click the Menu button and select MERGE ACCOUNTS. Then select your Google account and voil?! It should sync to Google.

 

[wookiee2cu]

With the CONTACTS TO DISPLAY view set to 'PHONE', click the Menu button and select MERGE ACCOUNTS. Then select your Google account and voil?! It should sync to Google.

I'm having the same issue. I set contacts to display to phone and it goes back to where I can select contacts to disply but I don't see any 'Menu' button to select merge accounts. I'm on AT&T, maybe something is different with their version?

 

[Wintercreek]

Same answer here....CONTACTS TO DISPLAY is set to Phone. But there is no 'menu' button to select MERGE ACCOUNTS. I'm on Verizon. I'm using Samsung Galaxy S5.

 

[SpookDroid]

Sorry guys, I forgot the S5 replaced the menu button with the multitasking one. Thankfully, the menu button is still there, it's just hidden. Tap AND HOLD the multitasking button until the menu appears.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 still has a menu button, it's just hidden | Android Central

 

[Wintercreek]

Samsung did a great job at hiding it, I never would have known it was there. Now, at what point, at what screen do I press and hold the multitasking button? Am i to understand correctly that this will copy all the contacts that I have created on my phone and put them in my gmail contacts? Right now I have zero contacts in my gmail account and i have been told by many others that this is the way to back up your contacts in the even the phone is lost/stolen, etc or you switch carriers.

 

[SpookDroid]

As long as you're viewing contacts, you should be able to summon that menu. If you want to avoid duplicates (don't think that would happen, but just in case), first make sure that you selected PHONE in "Contacts to Display". Then bring up the menu, find the 'Merge accounts' option and then you'll be presented with Google and Samsung. The best way to do this is to select your Google account (that way your contacts are safely stored in the Cloud and readily available for any other phone), but if you're planning to stick to Samsung devices, you can also select that option; it works in the same way as Google, but you can only restore to Samsung devices and, to the best of my knowledge, there's no way to access your contacts via a web browser, like you can with Google.

 

[Wintercreek]

Thanks, I'm sure that will work.

 

[wookiee2cu]

I still don't see the 'Merge Accounts' option, I'm on AT&T, maybe they removed it. I open contact-menu-settings-contacts-contacts to display-device and then it brings me back to the screen where I selected contacts to display and hold down the multi-task button and nothing happens. If I go all the way back to where I see all of my contacts listed and hold down the multi-task button I get the same options as when I hit the menu (3 dots in upper right corner) and those options are: select, delete, business cards, sim management, speed dial, send message or email, link contacts, settings and help. I don't see the option for 'Merge Contacts' any where

 

[SpookDroid]

Try the Link Contacts option. That used to be available only if you were inside a specific contact, as it allowed you to link several contacts (Facebook, Whatsapp, Skype, etc) into a single one. Maybe they changed the wording?