Chapter 7
IN THIS CHAPTER
Exploring the address book
Searching and sorting contacts
Creating a new contact
Editing contacts
Putting a picture on a contact
Deleting contacts
Way back when, humans were required to memorize phone numbers. Think of it! Not everyone’s number was committed to memory — just a few key contacts. So kids stranded at the bowling alley could phone Mom’s workplace, Grandpa, or even a neighbor lady to ask for a lift. The human brain has marvelous power.
Memorizing a phone number isn’t a requirement for being human today. That’s because Android devices, both phones and tablets, are capable of storing incredibly detailed information about people, including phone numbers, email addresses, physical world addresses, and just about everything else you can imagine, all in a single app.
The address book app is central to many operations in an Android phone — less so on a tablet, but still necessary. It’s used by Gmail, Email, Hangouts, and (most obviously) the Phone app.
To open the Contacts app, look for its launcher on the Home screen. It might be in the Google folder. And if it’s not available on the Home screen, look for it in the Apps drawer.
Figure 7-1 shows how the Contacts app might look, though its appearance differs from device to device. Specifically, some apps list favorites at the top, followed by frequently contacted entries. A full index might also appear on the side of the list.
By default, the Contacts app shows all contacts presented alphabetically by first name. Swipe your finger on the touchscreen to scroll the list.
To see more details about a contact, tap the entry. The details screen varies, depending on the Contacts app, but it looks similar to what’s shown in Figure 7-2.
The number of things you can do with a contact depends on the information shown and the apps installed on your phone or tablet. Here are some common activities:
Some tidbits of information that show up for a contact have no associated actions. For example, the Android doesn’t sing “Happy Birthday” whenever you tap a contact’s birthday information.
Your Android gizmo’s address book displays contacts in a certain order. By default, that order is alphabetically by first name. You can change this order if the existing arrangement drives you nuts. Follow these steps when using the Contacts app:
Choose Settings.
In some Contacts apps, tap the Action Overflow icon and then choose Settings. Some Samsung devices use the MORE button instead of the Action Overflow icon.
Choose First Name First or Last Name First.
This command specifies how the contacts appear in the list: first name first or last name first.
The list of contacts is updated, displayed per your preferences.
The Contacts app doesn’t provide a running total for all your contacts. Either you have very few friends, or a lot of people owe you money. When it’s the latter, you can choose to endlessly scroll the list of contacts, or you can employ the powerful Search command to quickly find a contact:
Tap the Search icon.
Some versions of the Contacts app may always show the Search text box at the top of the screen. If so, tap in the box.
Start typing a contact name.
As you type, a list of matching contacts appears. The list narrows the more you type.
To clear a search, tap the X at the right side of the Search text box. To exit the search screen, tap the Back navigation icon.
Having friends is great. Having more friends is better. Keeping all those friends as entries in the Contacts app is best.
Sometimes it’s necessary to create a contact when you actually meet another human being in the real world. Or maybe you finally got around to transferring information from your old datebook. In either instance, you have information to input, and it starts like this:
The ADD button is illustrated in the margin, as well as shown earlier, in Figure 7-1. The icon may appear in a festively colored circle.
Ensure that your Google account is associated with the new contact.
You may see your Google (or Gmail) account listed on the Create Contact card. If not, choose that account from a list. Or, if you primarily use another email service, such as Yahoo!, choose that account instead.
I recommend choosing your Google account because this account is synchronized with the Internet and any other Android gizmos you may own.
Do not choose the Device account, which might also be labeled Phone or Tablet. When you do, the contact information is saved only on your Android. It won't be synchronized with the Internet or any other devices.
Fill in the contact’s information as best you can.
Type text in the various boxes with the information you know. The more information you provide, the better. At minimum, the contact needs a name.
Tap the chevron to the right of a field to set more details, such as whether a phone number is Mobile, Home, Work, or so on.
To add a second phone number, email, or location, tap the ADD NEW button, which may look like a large Plus icon.
Always type a phone number with the area code.
At the bottom of the Add New Contact screen, you’ll find the button MORE FIELDS or ADD ANOTHER FIELD. Use that button when you can add more details for the contact, such as a birthday or website address.
The new contact is created. As a bonus, it’s also automatically synced with your Google account on the Internet, or with whichever account you chose in Step 3.
A quick and easy way to build up the address book on an Android phone is to add people as they call. To do so, check the call log:
Display the call log.
Tap the History or Recent tab. See Chapter 6 for specific directions.
Unknown phone numbers appear by themselves, without a contact picture, name, or other details.
Display details about the phone number for an incoming call.
If the details aren’t presented right away, long-press the entry or tap the DETAILS button.
Choose the option to create a new contact.
Two options present themselves: one to update an existing contact and a second to create a new contact.
If you make a mistake and create a new contact for an entry already in the address book, you can merge the contacts later. See the later section “Managing contacts.”
You can use email messages to help build the address book, by either creating a new account based on a message or adding someone’s email address to an existing account. The good news is that the email message supplies both the contact name and the email address. Follow these steps:
View the email message.
You can’t add a contact from the inbox; tap the message to view its contents.
Tap the contact's name or the icon by the contact’s name.
The icon has a letter in it, like the one shown in the margin. This boring icon is a sign that the email address isn’t associated with a contact in your Android’s address book. After tapping the icon, you see more details.
Tap the Add Contact icon.
If you don’t see the Add Contact icon (shown in the margin), choose the action View Contact.
Choose an existing contact from the list, or tap the top item, Create Contact.
The commands may be shown separately from the entire address book list. For example, you may see two actions: CREATE CONTACT and UPDATE EXISTING.
Choosing an existing contact adds the email address to that contact’s information. Otherwise, you see the Create Contact card and can proceed as outlined in the earlier section “Creating a new contact from scratch.” Of course, the email address is already supplied.
Sure, some folks just can’t leave well enough alone. For example, Tracy may change her phone number. Sandy moves all the time. And Steve finally got rid of his 25-year-old AOL email addresses. When such things occur, you must undertake the task of address book management.
To make minor touch-ups on any contact, locate and display the contact’s information. Tap the Edit icon, similar to the Pencil icon shown in the margin. The button might say EDIT, or you can tap Action Overflow and choose Edit.
To change or add information, tap a field and then edit or add new text.
Some contact information cannot be edited. For example, fields pulled in from social networking sites can be edited only by that account holder on the social networking site.
When you’re finished editing, tap the Done icon or the SAVE button.
Contact photos are supplied automatically, depending on the contact’s email address. For example, your Android may show the contact’s photo from their own Gmail or Facebook accounts. If not, you can assign your own picture of the contact, a photo that reminds you of the contact, or something wholly inappropriate.
To use the Android’s camera to snap a contact picture, heed these directions:
Tap the contact’s picture or the Picture Placeholder icon.
The placeholder may feature a Camera icon, like the one shown in the margin.
Choose Take Photo.
Some devices may skip this step, automatically displaying the Camera app (or a variation).
Use the device’s camera to snap a picture.
Chapter 13 covers using the Camera app. Both the front and rear cameras can be used (though not at the same time). Tap the Shutter icon to take the picture.
Review the picture.
Nothing is set yet. If you want to try again, tap the Retry icon, similar to what’s shown in the margin. Repeat Step 4. This icon might appear as a Minus (–) icon on the Camera app.
Tap the Done icon to confirm the new image and prepare for cropping.
Some devices skip this step, automatically setting the image you just took. If so, skip to Step 9.
Crop the image.
Adjust the cropping box so that it surrounds only the portion of the image you want to keep. Refer to Chapter 14, which specifically covers how to use the cropping tool.
The contact’s image appears onscreen when the person calls, as well as when referenced in other apps, text messaging, Gmail, and so on.
If the contact isn’t around, or nothing nearby is worthy of snapping a picture, you can assign one of the device’s images to the contact. In Step 3, choose the action Select New Photo or Choose Photo. Browse the device’s images to pluck out something suitable.
A favorite contact is someone you stay in touch with most often. The person doesn’t have to be someone you like — just someone you (perhaps unfortunately) contact often, such as your parole officer.
To make a contact a favorite, display the contact’s information and tap the Favorite (star) icon by the contact’s image, as shown in Figure 7-2. When the star is filled, the contact is one of your favorites and is stored in the Favorites group.
To remove a favorite, tap the contact’s star again and it loses its highlight.
Older versions of the Contacts app allowed you to find duplicate contacts and glue them together. The process was called joining, linking, or merging. Likewise, you could separate contacts improperly joined. With the current iteration of the Contacts app, this process has become automated.
To review your Android’s address book for potential duplicate contacts, follow these steps while using the Contacts app.
Choose Suggestions.
A description card may appear. If so, tap the GOT IT button.
On some Samsung devices, tap Action Overflow in the Contacts app. Choose the Manage Contacts action and then Merge Contacts.
The suggestions include merging potential duplicate contacts as well as updating contact information pulled in from other sources.
Every so often, consider reviewing your Android’s address book. Purge the folks whom you no longer recognize or you’ve forgotten. It’s simple:
Edit the forlorn contact.
For some versions of the Contacts app, this step isn’t necessary. Instead, display the contact’s info, and then move on with Step 2.
Tap Action Overflow and choose Delete.
If you don’t see the Delete item, the contact is brought in from another source, such as Facebook. You need to use that app to disassociate the contact.
Tap DELETE button to confirm.
Poof! They’re gone.
On some devices, you may find a Delete icon (shown in the margin) directly on the contact’s details card. Tap that icon to remove it, and then tap the OK button to remove the contact.
Because the Contacts list is synchronized with your Google account, the contact is also removed there — and on other Android devices.
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