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bbear2
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join:2003-10-06
dot.earth

bbear2

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[Need Info] How to move contacts from one phone to another

I have a regular phone without a data plan that I want to move the contact information from onto an android smart phone. I've used the MYPIM PC app before with some success to back up the contacts, but don't know how to then get that into the smartphone. Or is there a better way to do it? Any ideas?

carpetshark3
Premium Member
join:2004-02-12
Idledale, CO

carpetshark3

Premium Member

Which smart phone?

Nexus 4 you can import from storage (VCF files)
I backup vcf files on pc, and import from there.

You can also upload all your contacts to Google, and automatically sync them to any Android phone if you like that method.
taoman
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join:2013-09-13
Seattle, WA

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Would help to know exactly what your "regular phone" is. I have always used BitPim to export contacts from a feature phone to a csv file. But BitPim only supports certain older feature phones.
I will assume you can export your contacts to a csv or vCard file format with this "MYPIM PC" program you are referring to. If so, import that file into the Contacts of the Google account associated with the Android phone. You can then sync your Android to that account and and it will populate your Contacts on your Android.
bbear2
Premium Member
join:2003-10-06
dot.earth

bbear2

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Yes, that's the one I used to use, BitPim. I'll fire it up again and see about importing the .cvs or vCard. Thanks.

printscreen
join:2003-11-01
Juana Diaz, PR

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You can also see if the desktop software used for your particular brand of "regular" phone allows you to do the export. My last feature phone was a Motorola and had to ditch that phone due to a carrier change. I exported all contacts as vcf files with the Motorola software and then imported into a new Pantech phone. The vcf files got imported into my Contacts folder (Windows 7) and appear in the Windows address book if I recall correctly. Three months later I decided to switch carrier again and repeated the same process but this time into a Blackberry phone.
JBear
join:2005-02-24
canada

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Like carpetshark3 said,

You can upload your contacts to your e-mail address contacts and sync them from there. If you want to be ambitious I suggest 'cleaning' your contacts up. I'm not sure if this has to be done manually or can be done automatically but it saves a lot of headache and hassle when searching for a contact on your phone and you have 3 different contacts for JBear and you don't know which number is which.
broccoli
join:2007-11-29
Portland, OR
Draytek Vigor2860Vac
EnGenius EAP600
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In the last 10 years I have gone through 9 handsets, 2 of those were feature phones and the rest were smartphones. I didn't start synchronizing my contact list online until I got my first Android phone a year and a half ago, but all my phonebook contacts have carried over automatically from phone to phone, without any backup, importing/exporting or migration.

How? I keep all my contacts on the SIM card.
bbear2
Premium Member
join:2003-10-06
dot.earth

bbear2

Premium Member

Are you saying that you simply move your SIM card from one phone to another and that takes care of it?
broccoli
join:2007-11-29
Portland, OR
Draytek Vigor2860Vac
EnGenius EAP600
Obihai OBi100

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broccoli

Member

said by bbear2:

Are you saying that you simply move your SIM card from one phone to another and that takes care of it?

Yes, but beware of the following limitations:

• The SIM can only store so many contacts. The absolute limit is 250 entries
• There is a one-to-one relationship between contacts and phone numbers. Phone manufacturers have different ways of overcoming that. My old Nokia 6680 appends '/H', '/M', '/W' to the SIM contact name to indicate 'home', 'mobile' and 'work', respectively.
• The contact name has a 16-character limit.

pike
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join:2001-02-01
Washington, DC

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said by bbear2:

Are you saying that you simply move your SIM card from one phone to another and that takes care of it?

Nearly all feature phones saved your contacts to the SIM card, or gave you the option to at the very least. This capability has fallen out of favor with smartphones as the vendors seek more control over your data. They do generally have an option to import SIM contacts though.

printscreen
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Juana Diaz, PR

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Not only that but current phones let you store a lot more info about your contacts than just phone numbers. I have many e-mail addresses in mine. My last feature phone also had this capability but it was a CDMA phone with no SIM card so this was not an option. Prior to that phone, my carrier always did the transfer for me whenever I needed to change the phone (3 times in 10 years). With the last feature phone (a Motorola) the carrier said they could not do that (I think the guy was just lazy) so I had to do it myself at home using the computer.