An update of the Google Play services means that contacts saved on the cell phone are no longer displayed. TECHBOOK reveals what to do then.
These days, few know their most important phone numbers by heart. And why should they, when they are stored easily accessible on the smartphone that you always have with you. But what if these entries are suddenly gone? This is exactly what can happen right now due to a recent update for the Google Play services as Google has changed how contacts are synced on Android phones.
Update makes contacts disappear from Android smartphones
Until now, anyone who wanted to create a new contact on their smartphone could decide where it was saved. For a long time, the options to choose from were on the Google account, directly on the mobile phone or on the SIM card. However, with the latest update for Google Play Services, the option to store data on the device has been removed. And that has consequences.
Many users may not have even noticed the update to version 23.20, as Google rolls it out automatically in the background and – unlike app updates – it does not have to be triggered manually. But even if the update of the Play services went unnoticed, this has an impact on some users. Contacts previously stored on the Android smartphone are now gone. The update changelog states: “Disabling syncing with Google Contacts sync will now remove the previously synced contacts from your Android phone.”
But what does that mean exactly? Previously, contacts would continue to be displayed even if users turned off sync on their Android smartphone. However, changes to the entries were then only visible locally on the respective device. The transfer to other devices linked to the Google account only takes place again after the synchronization has been switched on. However, the update from Google Play now means that contacts stored on the Android smartphone are no longer displayed as soon as users switch off synchronization.
This is how lost contacts can be restored
Google hasn’t made a big announcement of the customization that Google Play’s update brings. Many users who suddenly miss contacts will therefore be confused.
The good news: The contacts have not completely disappeared from the Android smartphone, but are still in the cloud (provided they have been synchronized at least once). So to make them visible again, users just need to re-enable sync on their device. It works like this:
- Go to the settings of your Android smartphone. Here you will find the menu item Google
- Open “Google Apps Settings” and click on “Sync Google Contacts”.
- You can now activate automatic synchronization within the sub-items displayed here.
Depending on the device and Android version, the settings may be named slightly differently.
Access contacts via browser
If you miss contacts on your Android smartphone, you should first check whether the synchronization is really active. It should also be noted that after activation it can take a few minutes before all contacts are visible again on the mobile phone. A stable Internet connection is required for synchronization, as the contacts are transferred to the cloud. It is therefore questionable what happens if it breaks off during the synch process or is too weak.
If you are in a hurry, you can also use your browser to search for a specific contact. Once synchronized, the entries can also be called up and edited via the browser if desired. To do this, users must log in with their Google account and the link https://contacts.google.com/ call.