On Mon, 26 Apr 2021 22:55:14 +0200, paul <nospam@nospam.invalid>
wrote:

>Carlos E.R. wrote on 26.04.2021 08:20

>I thought like that also but the SIM doesn't store as much as the phone
>contacts database will does (either in size or in amount of detail per
>contact).
>
>So storing in the SIM card doesn't work well.
>Storing on the phone works well.
>
>All the apps that need contacts use the database stored on the phone.
>Even apps that aren't supposed to need contacts probably (malware).
>
>It's best to store the contacts on the phone in the default contacts db.
>The OP's question I think is how to keep THAT out of Google's paws.
>
>I'm not sure how but NOT syncing your contacts to Google should help.

Yes.

In the past, I have kept my contacts in the phone, then if I change my
phone (which my contrct usually does every couple of years) I copy
them to the SIM just before transferring it to the new phone, and then
on the new phone copy them from the SIM to the phone.

But with my current phones I don't see a way to do that. I have to
enter my contacts from scratch.

And then I discovered, when I want ted to sens sam mail to
seldom-contacted people, that they had disappeared from my contacts
list opn Gmail, because I didn't want them cluttering up my phone.

So I lost my contacts on Gemail even though my phone didn't fall into
the sea.

>For backup, there's nothing stopping you from exporting contacts to a file.
>That file can be encrypted if you like and stored on the cloud if you like.
>
>That way the OP's phone contacts are backed up & STILL out of Google's paws.

Sounds useful!

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

Steve Hayes wrote on 29.04.2021 11:23

> In the past, I have kept my contacts in the phone, then if I change my
> phone (which my contrct usually does every couple of years) I copy
> them to the SIM just before transferring it to the new phone, and then
> on the new phone copy them from the SIM to the phone.

I think we all used to use the SIM card but I think (I'm not quite sure
though) that the SIM card doesn't store ALL the information that is in the
contacts db.

So be forewarned that most of us no longer rely on a SIM card for contacts.
Most of us save our contacts to a file and then we back up that file.

> But with my current phones I don't see a way to do that. I have to
> enter my contacts from scratch.

I just set up some new phones which had Google sync turned on.

Given the Google contacts contained everything I exported the old contacts
from Google using a web browser on the PC to a "vCard (for iOS Contacts)"
format file.

The contacts manager on the new phone easily imported that vcf file.

I didn't need to do any export on the phone.
The export was done on the PC (the import was done on the phone).

> And then I discovered, when I want ted to sens sam mail to
> seldom-contacted people, that they had disappeared from my contacts
> list opn Gmail, because I didn't want them cluttering up my phone.
> So I lost my contacts on Gemail even though my phone didn't fall into
> the sea.

Easiest thing to do in the future is save the GMail contacts to a file once
every few months (depending on how frequently your contacts are updated by
you).

Same with the phone contacts - if they're different - then just save them
every few months into a file. Then you will never lose them again.

You can back up that file along with your other normal backups.
(Encrypted or not.)

with <tbuk8gtjeodeoeg4iqgj8docg85u3iro79@4ax.com> Steve Hayes wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Apr 2021 22:55:14 +0200, paul <nospam@nospam.invalid>
> wrote:
>>Carlos E.R. wrote on 26.04.2021 08:20

*SKIP*
>>I'm not sure how but NOT syncing your contacts to Google should help.
> Yes.

Yes!

> In the past, I have kept my contacts in the phone, then if I change my
> phone (which my contrct usually does every couple of years) I copy
> them to the SIM just before transferring it to the new phone, and then
> on the new phone copy them from the SIM to the phone.

For those anaware, SIMs have these showstoppers:

- Limited number of records (IIRC, that depends on age(?) of the SIM;
IIRC for my first Nokia 1110 it was like 10 records, then it became
50; then I've lost count because it was/is way below my load anyway
(478 contacts, just in case you wonder)).

- Records on SIM are limited to name+phone. That results in multiple
records (per contact's phone number, can't say anything about email
and such -- didn't have to worry back then and not interested now).

- Custom pics, custom ringtones etc are lost.

> But with my current phones I don't see a way to do that. I have to
> enter my contacts from scratch.

No you don't. I understand that both phones are alive (otherwise, it's
not straightforward but doable anyway (in a sense -- I did it myself)).
Pair those via bluetooth, select all your contacts on source, send them
to target, accept on target, agree to import on target -- jobs done.
Sure, some bits of info might be lost (subject to your usage), but I
understand isn't that extensive. That loss isn't due to limitations of
VCF (those limitations may be worked out), it's because Android wasn't
made to make your life easy. It came over us for completely different
reasons.

*CUT*

--
Torvalds' goal for Linux is very simple: World Domination
Stallman's goal for GNU is even simpler: Freedom

Eric Pozharski wrote on 30.04.2021 09:26

> it's because Android wasn't made to make your life easy.

It's pretty easy to export contacts on one phone & then import on another.

with <s6h6p5$18s6$1@gioia.aioe.org> paul wrote:
> Eric Pozharski wrote on 30.04.2021 09:26

>> it's because Android wasn't made to make your life easy.
> It's pretty easy to export contacts on one phone & then import on
> another.

Good.

--
Torvalds' goal for Linux is very simple: World Domination
Stallman's goal for GNU is even simpler: Freedom