Galaxy S3 Contacts DISAPPEARED... - AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III

So basically my SIM contacts which I manually entered one by one disappeared once again today... (The reason I manually entered my contacts is because I changed my SIM to a microSIM and my carrier ROGERs refuses to transfer it for me...)
Running all stock Rogers ICS, no root no nothing..
This disappearing issue was present on all my other Galaxy S3s from Rogers which I exchanged due to flimsy battery cover (hairline cracks) and WiFi random disconnecting issues...
(**Note: ticking display only SIM contacts do not work, ticking another display option and switching it back to only display SIM do not work, rebooting the phone do not work, removing the battery do not work, and syncing option turn on and syncing do not work..)
The issue will be solved if I remove the SIM card and reinsert it, or factory reset the phone. By doing this, it is a temporary fix, I realized that all my SIM contacts will disappear again after a few days.
The only way I can prevent this is to save all my contacts in my Phone Memory or in the cloud Google Sync (I don't trust my privacy with Google though)...
What is happening.... Is this a known ICS bug?? (I used Froyo and Gingerbread on my Galaxy S Captivate and Galaxy S2 Skyrocket LTE....
I have used android since the first Galaxy S (captivate) and I never had this issue before..

Check if it helps
Try and see if you can make a backup of you contact with a google account. Therefore all your contact will be backup there instead of your sim. That way you will never lose them.
Also you can check, while in contact hit menu and see if there is a option: Contact to Display". click it & see if it give you an option to select sim or phone. if it does. select either of them to see if your numbers are there.
Maybe this might solve your problem.
Hope this helps.

Don't trust your privacy with Google?
May I ask why? You're using a Google phone. Syncing a phone to Google servers so you can use your branded Google os phone.
And in terms of someone using mischevious ways to illegally access your contacts. Id be more concerned with your internet provider than Google.
But anyway. Hope you get it fixed mate. May I offer a solution? Have you asked your provider for maybe just a brand new sim? And why have they said no to transferring your contacts? To my knowledge they can't really refuse you, or the store you went to is just a bunch of dicks.
Also. If you have best buy near you. Ask them for some help. Mobile guy here. At my store we would do it no questions asked no charge just to help a fellow out.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

As I mentioned in the OP, I ticked the contacts display to SIM only...
@ThatJawn
I know I am using a Google Phone, but the only thing I would ever sync with them is my GMail account and my Google Play Apps...
I do not sync any personal contacts/appointments and of course contact numbers and addresses with them ever since I started using my Galaxy S1 Captivate...
Yes, the store I went to was a bunch of dicks... I don't know if you know the Canadian carrier Rogers Wireless, they are shady people and some of them are just straight up dumb....
Basically my microSIM is a new card.. But for some reason Rogers' new LTE microSIMs do not have the normal SIM cutout adapter... So it makes it difficult to transfer my old contacts from my GS2 Skyrocket LTE to my GS3. The store has a freakin' multiSIM reader, but the teenage chick at that Rogers store in Downtown Toronto did not know how to operate.

Hmm try to catch a different person?
Or go to best buy? Or say like a Walmart or anywhere else they sell mobile phones. I'm sure they wouldn't have any issues doing it for you.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

I too don't trust Google with contacts n such. So here is what I do:
Installed "Go Contacts" app.
Always keep it frozen and use only when I need to backup.
This app has option to export contacts. In case of any issue, you could import from the exported file.
You could create as many backups as you want since the exported file gets created with the timestamp as name.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Related

Lost ALL my contacts!? Second time, different phone...

2 totally separate phones (dash's) one with Rogers and one with stock Tmo WM6. Hard restart all contacts disappear! Since in their infinite wisdom you cant disable the sim contacts from showing, I rely on them STAYING in the phone memory! Anyone else with this issue? It has happened only twice in maybe 4 months, but is very frustrating!
Thanks for any advice!
A hard reset will restore the phone to factory default (no contact list). It's supposed to do that. Keep your contacts synchronized via outlook and activesync.
Sorry, I was lying when I typed hard reset. I yanked the battery so it wasnt exactly a soft reset but I did not do the clear storage either I guess next time it locks up I will be more patient!
gospeed.racergo said:
2 totally separate phones (dash's) one with Rogers and one with stock Tmo WM6. Hard restart all contacts disappear! Since in their infinite wisdom you cant disable the sim contacts from showing, I rely on them STAYING in the phone memory! Anyone else with this issue? It has happened only twice in maybe 4 months, but is very frustrating!
Thanks for any advice!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be syncing your phone with your contact list on your PC or exchange server if you are lucky enough to have one. This is one of the most basic things you can do on a smartphone. What if you lost your phone???
I do sync. But I dont take my computer with me either. So today, all day, I was without contacts. Now they are back caused I sync'd.
I guess we should be telling people that want louder call volume to get a hearing aid and people that want to run another ROM to buy the right phone
backup
I use Sprite Backup for said problem and its golden. Simply make backups of your data on the go and when things happen like say an impossible to stop boot loop or a data error, you can still restore everything.
I guess I am just the kind of person that would rather look at the root of the problem, not the band-aid repair after it happens again. I will look into the backup, but I will probably just carry my spare deactivated sim card so I can transfer stuff back if it fails me again.
So does anyone know a way to KEEP the contacts on the sim, yet hide them from view on the contacts list? It surpirses me that something my 8 year old Nokia does WM6 wont let you do . I have never accidentally lost my sim contacts- but the duplicate thing is annoying
The rogers rom for the htc s621 (dash) allows you to hide sim contacts without a registry edit. goto settings then phone... you'll find it there.
also there is a reg edit for said issue for roms that don't offer this option. I have not personally found a smartphone rom without this option but the regedit is: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Phone]
"ShowSIM"=dword:00000001 ->0 to disable, 1 to enable.
Now you can keep your contacts on your activated SIM.
THANK YOU!!! I had not realized Rogers did this!
Found the check box under Settings/Phone/Call Options

Contact type difference

Can someone explain the difference between contact types - T-mobile and Phone?
thanks
Phone contacts are contacts that are actually on your phone. Tmobile contacts are backed up and stored on tmo servers...that way if you wipe, or get a new phone, you won't hafta spend hours restoring your contacts individually, you can just sync them from you tmo account onto your new phone...
-BMFC
Sent from my ROOTED MyTouch3G Slide
Thank you bmfc!
Since i'm on another carrier, i will have to set them to Phone, right?
that is, will it couse misorganization in other sync options if i don't?
dialbat said:
Thank you bmfc!
Since i'm on another carrier, i will have to set them to Phone, right?
that is, will it couse misorganization in other sync options if i don't?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't have tmobile then you can't possibly sync to a tmo account you don't have, so just turn it off...I'm on tmo and I HATE tmo contact sync...we already have google accounts to sync our contacts to...the tmo contact sync is just more useless, proprietary bloatware from tmo and I turned it off cuz I don't need 3 copies of all my contacts...anyway yeah just turn it off...
When you add a new contact it has a dropdown to select phone or tmobile or google as the type...you can set them all to phone, or to google and they will just sync to your google account and not take up space on your phone...
-BMFC
Sent from my ROOTED MyTouch3G Slide

Contact crash?

Hello all,
Suddenly I'm having this problem where one of my contacts will start dialing, then quickly beep, and then crash back out to the Home Screen. No matter how I call, via the shortcut or dialing the number digit by digit, it crashes. Every other number works. When I dial the number via Google Voice it's fine. Texting that contact is fine. But calling is impossible. Anyone ever hear about this? Any ideas on what to do? I kinda need this contact.. it's my wife!
Thanks!
Wait, so even if you delete the contact and dial the number directly, it crashes? I suspect it is a contact that had something in it. For example, on the stock ROM, the way the stock contacts apps saves Pauses and Waits is different than some of the custom ROMs contact/dialer apps. So when I went to a new ROM, some of those contacts had data simply not supported by the ROM. I bet if you open the contact in Google from a PC, there is some sort of item stored in the contact that is throwing the dialer app out of whack.
tinpanalley said:
Hello all,
Suddenly I'm having this problem where one of my contacts will start dialing, then quickly beep, and then crash back out to the Home Screen. No matter how I call, via the shortcut or dialing the number digit by digit, it crashes. Every other number works. When I dial the number via Google Voice it's fine. Texting that contact is fine. But calling is impossible. Anyone ever hear about this? Any ideas on what to do? I kinda need this contact.. it's my wife!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we all know what really happened here...
You forgot to call your wife, so you told her that it was because your phone won't let you. She wouldn't believe you so to convince her, you started this thread.
jk man. Seriously, its probably what fermunky said. Are you rooted, and if so, on a custom rom?
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
Hey guys,
Yeah, I'm rooted on Cyanogen's ROM. My wife is as well, she's had no such issues and I didn't do anything that could have prompted this. I deleted the contact, texts, emails so there was no trace of it and I still can't dial her number at all. This is ridiculous. Will I have to re-root??? I'm not synced to Google so I can't do that PC edit.
Thoughts???
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
Hey again... just tried exporting and re-importing my contacts and it still refuses to let me dial the one contact. I'm afraid I'm facing a hard reset because I can't go to work tomorrow without fixing this.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
Normally I would ask for the number to try and test it, but I am sure giving the number is out of the question... Have you tried swapping SIM cards, and then use her phone, with your SIM, and tried dialing the number again? If it follows your SIM card then I could only think of two things:
1: The SIM card has the contact on it, and is buggin the phone out
2: By some WEIRD fluke, your provider is somehow screwing up the handling on this one particular call.
I'm also getting this weird, blank, nameless System Group when I choose which contacts to display in Display Options. Never seen that before. Every time I make a new app it automatically decides to make it a Google contact. WHY?? I don't use Google for contacts. I don't get the option not to do that. And the contact goes to this blank group. I also see "System Group: My Contacts" and "All Other contacts" in addition to this blank one.
I don't even know how to see the SIM card contacts. But I don't use the SIM card as a rule. Not saying it couldn't have ended up copied or backed up there, just saying I don't use it for the obvious fields limitations.
So, since I'm on CM6, can I use Titanium to back everything up, then hard reset or is that not doable on a custom ROM?
You said this phone is not tied to a Google account?
It's tied to a Google account for Maps, etc but I don't have the contacts synced up. so I can't go to the PC as suggested and clean out the contact.
Well, as a troubleshooting measure, why not sync it to a PC and then view that contact in GMail to see if something is there.
However, you said you've completed deleted the contact, and direct-dialed the number with the same result? If so, do what I said and swap your SIM card into the other phone and dial the number again please.
Yes, that's right. However, if there were remnants on the SIM card, I wouldn't know. I certainly didn't put them there.
Soon as I meet my wife in about an hour I will do that test to see what happens and I'll reply back.
But meantime, any thoughts on my hard reset questions? I'm just thinking that if I use Titanium to back up the phone, and export the contacts, maybe I should just start from scratch? Any idea on the blank group I mentioned?
It may be doing that since you're not syncing contacts, not really sure.
As for swapping the SIM card, I am not suggesting it is a contact on the SIM card, just want to eliminate it as being a provider issue.
Do you notice if this only happens when calling the number from the same geographical location? Like, will it do it when you're at home versus when you're at work, grocery store, etc?
As for the backing up, cant help ya there. Never used titanium.
Happens everywhere. Not geo-specific.
Any other ideas for backing up and hard resetting? I'm actually more concerned about whether hard resetting on CM6 is a problem or complicated or anything.
Ok, I swapped cards with my wife...
- Called her number with HER phone using MY Sim, call went through fine.
- Called her number with MY phone using HER Sim, got to voicemail no problem.
Put MY Sim back in MY phone, beep and crash again.
Grrrrrrr......
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
Just hard reset my phone. Did nothing. Still can't dial the number.
Dang... how did you do the reset? I usually suggest doing the wipe from recovery.
If that still doesn't work, I'd try maybe un-rooting, make sure it works on stock rom, and if it works, then try rooting again and try again. That is pretty bizarre though.
I just did the standard power off, reboot holding down volume down, then "clear storage". Also, since doing this and then restoring everything with Titanium, I've noticed I'm not getting email updates even though it's on.
Oh man.... I've never had to even think about unrooting and rerooting. No idea where to start. Any tips on how to do that or a good guide I can follow?
This is so annoying.
Try wiping from recovery. The Clear Storage option you're using is in hboot, I believe.
Trying to wipe from recovery now. I'll see what happens. Before and after restoring from Titanium.
No dice... still happening. I'm officially stumped. I called T-Mo. They were shocked. They're sending me a warranty replacement.
Now, though, I've gotta unroot. Never done that before.

[Q] G Mail phone contacts gone

I saved my contacts to google before I switched over to my refurbed replacement epic and formatted the sim card to keep the new phone isolated from the old one. I ended up loosing all of my phone numbers but retained the email contacts. I logged onto g mail on a computer but I see no phone numbers on that page. Is there a way to see them or should I just thank the sprint tec for screwing me. maybe i screwed myself trusting someone that does phones for a living with my data. any help would be greatly appreciated.
wolffer0 said:
I saved my contacts to google before I switched over to my refurbed replacement epic and formatted the sim card to keep the new phone isolated from the old one. I ended up loosing all of my phone numbers but retained the email contacts. I logged onto g mail on a computer but I see no phone numbers on that page. Is there a way to see them or should I just thank the sprint tec for screwing me. maybe i screwed myself trusting someone that does phones for a living with my data. any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like the phone numbers were saved to the phone and not your gmail account. When you add a phone number or a contact you need to make sure that you choose save to gmail account when prompted. then when you sign in on a new phone or after doing a factory reset you will get all your numbers back. Do the same for calendar events.
Sprint reps/techs sometimes act like they know more than they really do.
When you have the option to save , you have to try and save to both then? how do you save the existing contacts then not saved to google?
wolffer0 said:
When you have the option to save , you have to try and save to both then? how do you save the existing contacts then not saved to google?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When saving check the do this by default box and save to google. The only ways I know to get them to google is export them to sd card (you dont have a sim card btw) and them import them back to phone. Go to contacts hit menu then import/export and do your thing. Or go to your gmail on web and add them directly to you contacts there as long as you sync it will add them. Might take a bit if you do it that way unless you manually hit sync, go menu , accounts and sync , tap google account you want, hit menu then sync now.
I did manually sync like you told me to but all of my phone numbers dont go to google. I got 1 contact to google by saving to google though but not the rest. actually i did exactly how you said to sync to google before the phone swap, but I havnt saved to google and thought i was saving them to google by manually sync. (problem is I thought) just like the sprint repair guy.
I need to know how to get them to google before I start rooting my phone the correct way, I thought it was simple in the beginning but now not so simple. I have no idea how I mixed up sd and sim card because I never had a phone with a sim sard ever.must have been a solar flare or something LOL.
wolffer0 said:
I need to know how to get them to google before I start rooting my phone the correct way, I thought it was simple in the beginning but now not so simple. I have no idea how I mixed up sd and sim card because I never had a phone with a sim sard ever.must have been a solar flare or something LOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Export contacts to a .vcf file.
Directions if jumping from Epic to new/refurb Epic with contacts in the phone, rather than Google.
On your phone with your contacts:
Contacts shortcut > Menu button > "More" > "Import/Export" > "Export to SD card"
Within Google Contacts webpage:
"Import" (blue bar, near top right of screen) > Browse to the file, either on your SD card or where ever you placed the export on your desktop (if you moved it from your phone.) > Choose which group to import them to. > Import button
After you get this done, anytime you want to create a contact in your phone--just use:
Contacts shortcut > "Create contact" button > Select "Create contact" (You may have this additional step here if you have a 3rd party email app that handles contacts too, like a corporate email client. Otherwise this step is skipped.) > Select "Google" instead of "Phone"
wolffer0 said:
I did manually sync like you told me to but all of my phone numbers dont go to google. I got 1 contact to google by saving to google though but not the rest. actually i did exactly how you said to sync to google before the phone swap, but I havnt saved to google and thought i was saving them to google by manually sync. (problem is I thought) just like the sprint repair guy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Manual sync will only work if they are saved to google, Thats why I said go to google on web and add them there then manual sync them to phone should double the contact name i.e. you have joe saved to phone and joe saved to google not joe saved to phone AND google. If you still have an old phone with the contacts on it you could take it to sprint and have them transfer them over for you. When I did that it automatically saved them to google.
EDIT: Sounds a bit dickish didnt mean it that way sorry
wolffer0 said:
I need to know how to get them to google before I start rooting my phone the correct way, I thought it was simple in the beginning but now not so simple. I have no idea how I mixed up sd and sim card because I never had a phone with a sim sard ever.must have been a solar flare or something LOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It happens
Ok its confirmed. I screwed myself. It has been a hard lesson because now I have to wait for everyone to call me to make a new contact. And it seems like I will have to back up my wifes and my contacts with the sv file thingy. Thanks for the info and if anyone sounded like a **** I can shop talk all day long but I am trying to stay on track these days because starting wars does nobody good. Thanks for the patience and great answers that are simple but not really taught to well in the book
Ahhhh I feel for there no spare phone is a bummer I always keep my old one with contacts in it for just such a thing. Sorry I couldnt be more helpful on this.
Export contacts to sd card. Then go to new phone that yu have the gmail account on and import tem. Choose the location as google and it will save your contacts to gmail.... the tech isn't responsible for making sure that you properly back up your contacts. If you say yea I did that's all he is goin to worry about...
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Really I was straight forward with the guy and told him I didn't know squat about it. This is the first android phone and am new to it . I will know better next time.

[Q] help-get rid of contacts imported from google

so when I changed out my sim card for new sg3 at tmob store, guy told me to import google contacts even though I explained they were on old phone only. Afterwards some contacts now have like 4 contact listings. Kind of a pain...so my question is how can I get my phone to not display my google contacts...I see options for sim only etc...but like i said my previous phone stored them on the phone not the sim. I'd like to not have google contacts showing then somehow move phone contacts to sim card.. Right now I'd have to move all contacts (including google to sim) which I don't want to do for reasons stated.
thx in advance
Select all, deselect the ones you want, delete. That's the fastest way I found. You coulda been done in the time it took to post.....
Go to your Google account settings on the phone and uncheck sync contacts
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Over even just go to the settings of the contacts and change what contacts are displayed.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
bfranklin1986 said:
Go to your Google account settings on the phone and uncheck sync contacts
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for posting
so i did that--and should help in the future- but now when i say display contacts on phone they have all already been imported i guess and are still displaying
DinoSoup said:
Over even just go to the settings of the contacts and change what contacts are displayed.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He said he already tried that.
OP seriously... just select all and unselect the ones you don't want to delete. I don't understand waiting days for a solution instead of just taking a few minutes to do it.
androidcactus said:
thank you for posting
so i did that--and should help in the future- but now when i say display contacts on phone they have all already been imported i guess and are still displaying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would only happen if you for some reason also copied them to the SIM card. When using smart phones and you have a data plan, I find it incredibly dumb to use only the SIM for contacts... why not just add your SIM contacts to Google, hide SIM contacts and display/sync Google contacts? Contact info on SIM cards is completely archaic.
fermunky said:
That would only happen if you for some reason also copied them to the SIM card. When using smart phones and you have a data plan, I find it incredibly dumb to use only the SIM for contacts... why not just add your SIM contacts to Google, hide SIM contacts and display/sync Google contacts? Contact info on SIM cards is completely archaic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have no issue using google contacts as opposed to the sim card, but google seems to import EVERTHING! So an example is say Joe Smith, I have Joe Smith cell#, home # etc, and email in my contact for him. Then google creates a second contact which shows Joe Smith email, then a third one for an old Joe Smith email, then a fourth one for Joe Smith biz email.
Thats my issue. So when I go to call Joe Smith, I open one of the listings, ok nope not the one, open another etc...
psykhotic said:
He said he already tried that.
OP seriously... just select all and unselect the ones you don't want to delete. I don't understand waiting days for a solution instead of just taking a few minutes to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you with the select all then deselect ones I need to keep. Problem is, google imported like everyone I ever emailed, and each different email address for a person is now listed as a separate contact under the same name..The one I need is not always listed first...(see my previous reply for some color on it)

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