Google Contacts is the contacts application preinstalled on a number of mobiles: Google Pixels, those with Android One, those that don’t modify Android much, and many others. It is more, can be installed without problem on any Android mobile to manage mobile contacts.
Thus, Google Contacts has become a benchmark in contact management and, although it seems a very simple application, hides a good amount of additional options and features that may go unnoticed. Here we select thirteen.
Your favorite contacts at your fingertips
This is probably one of the most useful tips and while it is obvious to some people, the truth is that the way to do it is a bit hidden. It is mark contacts as favorites so that they appear at the top of the set and, therefore, are easier to locate.
Interestingly, there is no way to mark a contact as a favorite from its context menu, but you will have to open the contact information and tap the star icon in the upper right corner.
Add a contact to the home screen
Another way to always have someone close at hand is create a shortcut on the home screen of the mobile. So you won’t even have to open the Contacts app to search for that person: by pressing this shortcut, it opens directly.
To create a shortcut to a contact, first open their information. Then press the menu ⋮ and choose Add to Home Screen
Synchronize mobile contacts
For about a year, Google can also synchronize device contacts, in addition to yours. Of course, this option is disabled by default.
If you want Google also save a backup copy of device contacts, you need to enter the contact settings and press Google contact sync settings. Then touch Manage settings under Also sync device contacts and finally, activate the option.
Find suggested contacts
Google knows a lot about you and also has a good idea of who you might be interested in contacting, even if your details are not saved in your contacts. From the web version of Contacts, you can view these contact suggestions from the Other contacts section.
In the app settings, if you tap Merge & Fix, one of the displayed suggestions is Add who you usually write to, which is the same: suggestions of people that Google thinks you might want to add to your contacts.
Combine duplicates
If you have been importing contacts from one mobile phone to another for a long time, it is common that you end up with duplicate contacts. Google Contacts makes it easy for you to find and combine them to tidy up your schedule.
To find contacts that you have repeated more than once, type Combine and correct and press Combine duplicates. If you have any duplicates, they will be shown to you in a list and you can combine the duplicate contacts with just one click.
Import and export contacts
Google protects your contacts, but you are free to take them with you wherever you go. In the menu, entering the settings, you will find both the Import and Export contacts option. At export contacts, the application creates a VCF file that you can easily import into other applications or another mobile.
Import contacts it’s just that simple. In the same settings, tap import and choose Archivo .vcf. Then you will need to locate the file in the mobile storage and subsequently these contacts will be added to your calendar.
Organize contacts by labels
Google Contacts displays your contacts in a list that can be made endless. If you prefer to keep everything a little more tidy, you can create labels, as in Gmail. You can create them from the side menu, by pressing Create a label.
After creating a tag, you can add contacts to it in several ways. By tapping on the label itself or by long pressing on any of the contacts and then using the context menu Add to tag.
Show only a few contacts
If you have a lot of contacts and a lot of labels, maybe at some point you might be interested filter list so that only certain contacts are displayed. You can configure it by pressing Customize the view, in menu ⋮ on the main screen.
To choose Personalize and after check the boxes with the labels you want to display, leaving the ones you want to hide unchecked. Remember that you can also see contacts of a certain tag from the side panel of the app.
Save deleted contacts from recycle bin
One of the great things about using the Google Contacts app is that it has plenty of protections to prevent you from losing a contact. To begin, has a trash can where the contacts you delete go, instead of disappearing forever.
When you delete a contact, it will stay in the trash for 30 days. To retrieve it, go to Wastepaper basket, tap the contact in question, and then tap Recover. The app tells you when it was deleted and from which device.
Undo the last changes
As if the above weren’t enough, Google lets you undo any changes you have made to your contacts in a certain period ranging from a few minutes to a month ago.
To undo all changes made to your contacts, enter the app settings and tap Undo changes. You can choose between several time intervals or select Custom to choose manually.
Create your own contact
There is also room for you in the contacts. If you want to add a profile for yourself, you can do so from settings, by pressing Your informations. After that, it doesn’t really show up in the list, but hey, you can still access it from this menu if you can’t remember your phone number or any other details you want to save there.
Add detailed information
Usually when we keep in touch we put the name, phone number and nothing else, but there is lots of additional fields that you can fill in to enter a lot of details about a person.
Among the available fields are birthday, relationship, website, relationship between you and many more. To view additional fields or add more, tap More fields from the edit screen of a contact.
Change your Google profile picture
A little curiosity of the Contacts app is that from there you can change your Google profile picture. This photo is visible to other people in other services where you use the account, such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos.
From the Contacts app, you have one of the fastest ways to edit this profile picture. First, tap your photo in the bar and then tap your photo again, which includes the photo camera icon. This option is not yet presented to all users, so it may not appear on your mobile.
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