![]() They're less like folders, in other words, and more like stickers - or, y'know, labels - in that there's no limit to how many any particular contact can have. Labels in Google Contacts work exactly like labels in Gmail: You can create as many as you like, and you can apply any number of labels onto any given contact. You'll also see a list of any labels you've created for your contacts in that area. The Google Contacts app makes it easy to see contacts from individual accounts or all of your connected accounts together. But take note: If you tap or swipe the profile picture in the app's upper-right corner, you can switch to seeing contacts associated with any other Google accounts on the device - and if you tap the three-line menu icon in the app's upper-left corner, you can shift into a merged view of all contacts from every account you've got connected. When you first open the Google Contacts app on Android, you'll see all of the contacts from whatever Google account is set to be the primary account on that phone. Now that we're all looking at the same place and dealing with the same best-available Android contacts management option, let's take a few minutes to get the lay of the land, shall we? Part II: Android contacts accounts and labels If that isn't possible, find the option to export your contacts from that app and then look for the import option within the Google Contacts Android app to get to the same spot. If it isn't - and if your device-maker gave you some other random alternative in its place - poke around in the app and try to find a similar set of options for syncing everything over to your Google account. If you have a non-Google-made phone from someone other than Samsung, check to see if your contacts app is the actual Google Contacts app or not. Then make a point to start using it instead of Samsung's silliness (which, by the by, Samsung won't let you uninstall) from here on out. Open it up and approve the permissions it needs to operate. Now, go download the Google Contacts app from the Play Store. If you don't see it, tap the "Add account" option to add it into the mix.īoth your Samsung account and your Google account need to be added and set to sync in the Samsung Contacts app. Make sure your main Google account is present and has its toggle active on the screen that comes up next.Tap the three-line menu icon in its upper-left corner, then tap "Manage contacts" followed by "Sync contacts.".Open up the Contacts app on your phone (the one probably represented by a glaringly bright orange icon).So why does Samsung insist on making that the default contacts service on its phones instead of sticking with Google's readily available offering? Simple: because it locks you into Samsung's self-serving ecosystem. It's less fully featured and pleasant to use than Google's version, too, and it makes it much more difficult to access your contact info from a computer or any other type of device. The company's Contacts app is the perfect example: The app offers no noteworthy advantages over Google's standard Android Contacts service, and it's available only on Samsung-made Android devices. The company wants you to continue using Samsung stuff and buying Samsung stuff, and it makes that more of a priority than giving you an optimal experience. Samsung's main goal with its products, y'see, is to keep you within its own universe. Specifically, if you're using a Samsung phone, we need to get you off of Samsung's subpar and proprietary contacts service and into Google's better, smarter, and more platform-agnostic alternative. Part I: Android contacts streamliningįirst and foremost, we need to make sure we're all on the same page - 'cause as we just mentioned a moment ago, the Android contacts situation is anything but standardized across the platform. Today, we'll start from square one and get your contacts in tip-top shape, no matter what type of Android phone you're using or how many unruly old bosses' email addresses you've got stored away.īy the time we're done, your Android phone contacts will be as orderly as can be - and you'll be equipped with all sorts of practical knowledge for harnessing their typically untapped potential. The good news, though, is that it doesn't have to be so difficult. And most Android phone-makers don't exactly make it easy for you to make the most of your messy contacts stew. Making matters even more complex is the fact that what constitutes "Android" is a wildly different experience from one device to the next.
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