How to Save Contacts from an Android Phone or Tablet

Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team

1. Introduction

Keeping track of contacts across your Android devices is incredibly easy thanks to the Google account that all Android devices make use of. Your Google account acts as a form of cloud storage that automatically saves specific data online "in the cloud." Any devices that are signed into your Google account share this information, and are as such always kept up-to-date.

In this guide, we will demonstrate how to access your Google account on the web and export a copy of all the contacts stored within it. This will create a local backup of all your contacts that can be used with any other platform or service.

What You'll Need:

• If you choose to update your TV via USB drive, you'll need access to a computer that's connected to the Internet, and a USB drive.

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Before You Begin:

• Make sure you have access to a computer that's connected to the Internet, and a USB drive.

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Update via Internet

Provided your Smart TV is connected to WiFi, it can check for updates using its Internet connection.

Update with a USB Drive

If your Smart TV does not have an Internet connection, or is unable to connect to WiFi, a USB drive can be pre-prepared and used to update your television.

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2. Access your Contacts Online

By default, your Android device saves all your contacts to a free Google service that you can access from any computer with a web browser.

It's updated and backed-up automatically; meaning you do not have to worry about keeping your own copy.

Accessing Your Contacts

1. Open your preferred web browser on your computer.
   

1. In the address bar at the top, type in contacts.google.com and press enter or return.
   

1. If prompted, sign in with the same Google account you use on your phone.
   

1. You'll see a list of your contacts here. You can edit, add, and delete them, and the changes will appear on your phone in a few moments.
   

3. Export Google Contacts

Your contact list is kept up-to-date automatically between your smartphone and the Google Contacts website.

A saved copy of your contacts will not automatically update. You will need to save a new copy periodically so you're not missing any.

Exporting Contacts from Google Contacts

1. Open your preferred web browser on your computer.
   

1. In the address bar at the top, type in contacts.google.com and press enter or return.
   

1. If prompted, sign in with the same Google account you use on your phone.
   

1. On the left, select More, then Export.
   

1. Select the options you need, then select Export.
   

1. 
   
2. Selection
3. In most cases, the second option, Contacts, will export all of your contacts, rather than just a few you may have selected.
4. Export as
5. Google CSV
6. If you want a backup, or want to give your contact list to someone else to use, this is the best choice.
7. Outlook CSV
8. If you wish to import your contact list into Microsoft Outlook, select this option.
9. vCard (for iOS Contacts)
10. If you wish to import your contact list to your Mac or iPhone, select this option.

In most cases, most programs (such as Outlook and other Mail programs) and other systems (such as iOS, Mac, and Windows) can access Google Contacts directly, rather than having to import and export constantly.