Despite the fact that a modern smartphone is already something more than just a dialer, making calls and sending SMS messages remains one of the main functional tasks of the device. For various reasons, the user may be faced with the question of how to restore contacts on the phone. You could reset your device to factory settings and accidentally delete all contacts.
This is not a complete list of situations in which the loss of all the phone numbers of friends, acquaintances, relatives and work colleagues stored in the smartphone’s memory occurs. It is immediately necessary to say that it is indeed possible to restore contacts, although sometimes due to certain circumstances this will not be possible. In this article we will look at the main recovery methods that have proven effective in practice.
Why did the numbers in the call log disappear?
There may be several reasons for numbers disappearing:
- disappearance of the list after a system rollback to factory settings (in this case, all data is lost, including the phone book file)
- accidental deletion of the entire list of numbers by the user himself
- updating the system may lead to partial loss of information (old files are replaced with new ones)
- obtaining root rights can lead to irreparable consequences with loss of contacts
- the appearance of a virus in the operating system
- system software failure
- unsuccessful attempt to synchronize with Google account
- mechanical damage
Is it possible to recover deleted contacts?
It is possible to return lost contacts. There are many different ways. The main thing is to begin recovery immediately; the longer you delay this procedure, the more difficult recovery will be.
The success of data recovery may depend on the device model, operating system, and methods chosen.
Restoring a list of numbers is most often carried out internally by devices and third-party software is less often used.
Below we will consider all the working options for restoring the phone book list.
Restoring from a previous backup
Restoring a phone book from the cloud is described above.
Let's look at how to load a list of numbers from a file prepared as a backup copy.
To do this, use the “Phone” application.
Select “Contacts” and go to the settings menu, where you use the “Import/Export” function.
Next, you will need the “Export to storage” action.
After clicking the “OK” button, the application will find the desired file and load the list into the phone book.
Through Google services
If you have enabled data synchronization with your Google account on your phone, you don’t need to worry about your deleted contacts, since they can be easily returned at any time.
Directly on your smartphone
In order to restore numbers on Android in this way, you will need:
- Go to the Contacts application on your smartphone or tablet.
- Find the “Additional actions” item in it and select it.
- Next, select the “Contacts Recovery” option.
- To restore, you will need to indicate the time when synchronization with Google was made.
Using a computer
This operation is also done using a PC as follows:
- First, you need to open the Google contacts page by going to contacts.google.com.
- Next, you need to find the “More” section in the menu on the right and open it.
- In the drop-down menu, select “Contact Restore”.
- Specify the synchronization date.
In order for the numbers restored in this way to be displayed in the phone book, you need to go to the settings and set the display mode to “All contacts”.
EaseUS MobiSaver for Android
To restore contacts deleted from an Android smartphone using the EaseUS MobiSaver for Android program, you will need:
- Download (link - easeus.com), install the application, connect your phone and click on Start.
- Wait until the software prepares the necessary data.
- And, immediately going to the Contacts section, mark the deleted number - or all lost numbers.
- And click on the Recover button.
Advice: if the program refuses to restore contacts, citing the use of a trial version, you should simply copy the found numbers onto a piece of paper and then manually enter them into the device’s memory.
Messengers
If numbers from the phone book disappeared not as a result of a targeted reset or a large-scale failure, but by themselves, that is, due to an insignificant error in the Android OS, the owner of the phone who uses instant messengers will be able to return them by simply opening a correspondence. The method is not one hundred percent, but it works - and therefore it makes sense to consider the procedure for the four most popular applications.
In Telegram, you can restore a lost contact as follows:
- Open the desired dialogue and tap on the avatar of the interlocutor.
- The number will be displayed directly on your profile.
- If desired, the user can forward the contact data to himself in “Saved Messages”.
- Or, if you want the number to be displayed in the main window, call the contact via Telegram. Now all that remains is to copy the numbers onto a piece of paper or copy them to the clipboard - and re-create the card in the phone book.
You can view a number that for some reason has disappeared from the general list via WhatsApp as follows:
- Go to the conversation, tap on the three dots at the top of the window.
- Select the “View Contact” option.
- And find the required numbers in the window that opens.
In Viber, the process of restoring contact is no less simple:
- The owner of a phone running Android OS opens a dialog and calls up the context menu.
- Selects the “Information” item.
- Finds the right person from the list of interlocutors.
- And by tapping on his name, he receives the required data.
To find a number deleted from the main phone book on Skype, you will need:
- Go to the conversation window and tap on the contact’s avatar.
- Scroll down the page.
- And, if the interlocutor registered using a cell number, view and rewrite the necessary numbers.
Important: in all of the above cases, it will be possible to restore the number only if there was a previous communication with the contact - otherwise the required information will simply not be available in the messenger.
Using third party programs
If synchronization has not been carried out, lost contacts are restored using special programs.
Important! Before using the programs described below, you need to make sure that root rights are available on your Android device.
EaseUS Mobisaver
To recover deleted contacts, there is software called EaseUS Mobisaver.
The program was created specifically for restorative procedures on mobile devices. The user can always download the current version from the official website of the developers.
- Before you start using the program, you need to make sure that debugging mode is activated on your device. You can enable it by going to “Settings”, then selecting “For Developers” from the list. In the list of settings that opens, check the “USB Debugging” box.
- Now you need to connect the device to the PC via a USB port and provide access rights.
- Next, you can launch Mobisaver on your PC.
- The program will scan the device's memory and provide a report listing all detected data.
- To restore contacts, you need to open the section called “Contacts”, select the desired entries in the list and click “Recover”.
Coolmuster Lab.Fone for Android
You can restore accidentally or recklessly deleted contacts on Android using this application, distributed in shareware mode, as follows:
- Download (link - coolmuster.com), run the program and click on the Android Recovery button.
- Connect your phone using a USB cable and wait until the application recognizes it.
- If necessary, grant permission to access memory on your smartphone by clicking the Allow button or similar.
- Uncheck the Select All checkbox.
- And install it in Contacts, then click on the Next button.
- Allow the program access again - otherwise it will be impossible to restore lost numbers.
- Once the search is complete, find the desired contact in the list and tick it.
- Click on the Recover button.
- And specify the folder to save the files.
- Now, by clicking Show in Folder, the owner of an Android smartphone will be able to open the output directory.
- The first file displayed in the folder is an HTML link.
- Allowing you to view data in any browser.
- You can open the second one in any text editor; You can find the necessary information (contact name and number) in the value sections.
Important: to successfully restore contacts that have disappeared from an Android phone, the user who has chosen this or the two subsequent methods will need to first obtain root rights.
Super Backup Pro
Another utility that allows you to recover phone numbers on Android. True, it does not work from a PC, but directly from a mobile device. The program is completely free and available for download through the Play Market. Its main task is to restore already created backups. To do this you need:
- Download the application to your phone.
- Launch and select “Contacts”.
- Click "Restore".
The main feature of this program is that it allows you to save backup copies of almost any information. But to do this, you need to install it before problems arise. And, of course, turn on automatic mode so that data is saved regularly.
If the user immediately takes care of the integrity and safety of important information, restoring it if trouble arises will not be difficult.
Android Data Recovery
The program allows the user to control a smartphone or tablet remotely. You can download it directly from the developer’s website.
All actions are carried out through a computer, the application is suitable for both Windows and Mac. It should be noted that the program is paid. To restore contacts you need to:
- Download and install the program.
- Connect the gadget to the computer and wait for the synchronization to complete.
- Launch the utility.
- In the program, find the “Recover” section.
The utility's capabilities are not limited to contact recovery. It can restore the readability of photos, documents and many other files. The program works not only with Android devices, but also with smartphones on the iOS platform.
MiniTool Mobile Recovery for Android
Another working program for restoring numbers deleted from the phone book; works like the previous ones, only if Android has access to the root folder. The owner of the smartphone will have to:
- Download (download - minitool.com), install and run the application, and then select the Recover from Phone option in the main window.
- If the connection cannot be established, check the integrity of the cable, restart the phone and try to connect it again.
- Upon completion of information processing.
- Switch to Quick Scan mode.
- And uncheck all the boxes except Contacts - otherwise the process will drag on indefinitely. Now, click on Next.
- The owner of the phone should switch to the Contacts tab.
- Find and mark a deleted number - or all numbers.
- And click on the Recover button.
- Selecting the directory to save the data.
- The user will receive three content options - an Excel table.
- HTML link.
- And a contact card in VCF format.
The card can be copied to the device’s memory, then opened and added to the phone book; in other cases, the user will have to manually create records for each contact found.
What other programs are there?
Today, the software market offers us many tools for recovering data on mobile devices, including contacts.
Below is a list of the most effective and proven ones:
- Restoring contacts;
- Restore Contacts;
- GT Recovery.
In some cases, information recovery utilities that are installed on a PC running Windows or OS X can help, and when working with them, the smartphone is connected via the original USB cable.
- Android Data Recovery;
- Data Doctor Recovery Android;
- EaseUS Mobisaver.
Tenorshare Data Recovery – contact recovery for Android and iOS
To restore numbers, a SIM card is required. Lost her? Let's turn to backup copies of contacts saved in the address book of your device, be it Android or iOS.
For such purposes, it is logical to use Tenorshare Data Recovery. The application can be installed on both Android and iOS phones. It is designed to search for erased data on Android tablets and smartphones. Versions are available for Mac OS and Windows, and are suitable for iOS and Android. The program scans both the internal memory of the device and SD cards.
A trial version is available on the developer’s website; it costs $40. This is slightly less than the price of Dr Fone, although the functions of both programs are identical. Tenorshare Data Recovery allows you to recover
- lost contacts from the Android address book;
- deleted SMS messages and text notes;
- accidentally deleted other types of data.
How to restore contacts in the program
- Enable USB debugging on your phone.
- Launch Tenorshare Data Recovery
- After synchronizing with PC (Windows/Mac), select fast/deep scanning mode.
- The application scans the device, looking for deleted data.
- With a couple of clicks, you can recover lost contacts by saving them back to your phone.
The software also performs comprehensive diagnostics of an Android mobile device. The utility checks data integrity and makes backup copies of data on the SD card with an accuracy of 1 bit.
How to recover deleted contacts on Android Samsung
Despite the wide range of Samsung smartphones, they do not differ in special functions and, especially, in other software. Therefore, restoration of contacts on these devices occurs according to the standard scheme. You can use the options above, or explore the ones below.
Via Samsung Cloud
If you synchronize with such cloud storage and regularly make backups, getting your lost numbers back will not be difficult. "Cloud" Samsung provides its owners with 15 GB of free space. There you can upload videos, photos, important notes, archives, documents, music and many other files in one click.
Moreover, you get access to your data at any time and from any gadget. Therefore, we recommend never neglecting the use of cloud services and always synchronizing information.
Mobile operators
Some mobile operators, for an additional fee, provide a service for backing up and restoring deleted data, including contacts that have disappeared from the SIM card. If the service has not been activated in advance, you will not be able to use this function. But mobile operators can still help by providing the subscriber with call details for a certain period of time.
The details will only show numbers without names, but by calling them all, you can restore most of your contacts.
Additional features
If you need to restore contacts on Android after deletion, you can use different methods, proceeding from simple to complex. But there are also alternative methods. Thus, we have developed a special utility for devices of this brand, Samsung Kies 2, which perfectly copes with the task assigned to it.
You can also return lost or disappeared contacts to Lenovo. Manufacturers release custom software for their devices.
Another simple option for restoring contacts on Android is if the user has WhatsApp. The entire phone book saved in this application is available for restoration at any time.
It doesn't matter how the contacts disappeared on Android. You can restore them even if the display is broken and the phone itself does not boot. All you need is a computer and a little knowledge.
Recover phone numbers via database (Root rights required)
If you haven't completely wiped your Android phone, you still have a chance to recover your deleted phone number. Typically, a database file with old contacts is stored deep inside the smartphone.
Depending on the phone manufacturer and Android version, this database file may be stored in different places. For regular Android devices like Nexus 5, the database file should be located here:
/data/data/android.providers.contacts/databases
The key phrase you should be looking for is provider.contacts/databases. To get to this folder directly from your device, install the aSQLiteManager application, which will allow you to get into your Android phone's database storage and open .db files.
If you find this folder on your device but it is empty, then the phone numbers have been deleted forever.
You can quickly restore a deleted contact using third-party programs; it is more convenient to do this when connecting your smartphone to a laptop or computer.
Answers to popular questions
How to recover contacts from a lost phone
Unfortunately, there are few options here. If you have lost your phone or simply do not have access to it at the moment, go to your computer and view your synchronized contacts in the web version of the storage. To do this, initially the phone book should be saved not in the phone memory or on the SIM card, but in Google services.
Recovery is also possible if you create daily backups and transfer them to your computer. In this case, you will find contacts in vCard format. But it is impossible to recover information from a lost device through a computer.
How to restore contacts after Android update?
If you made a backup before reinstalling, then on the new version all data will be returned automatically. You only need to indicate this the first time you start the device after the update.
Is it possible to restore contacts on a broken phone?
If there is no way to restore your device, but there are important contacts on it, don’t despair. There are several ways to solve this problem. The first situation: the numbers are stored on the SIM card. Just take it out and insert the SIM card into any other smartphone. Second situation: the phone book is located on external media. This is a fairly rare case, but possible. Then we also take out the flash drive or memory card and put it in a working device. Third situation: contacts are entered into a Google account. Everything here is as simple as possible, you just need to open the storage either on another smartphone or on a computer, thereby gaining access to your contacts.
Sources
- https://usvinternet.ru/vosstanovit-udalenennye-kontakty/
- https://MobiMozg.com/android/nastrojka/kak-vosstanovit-udalennye-kontakty
- https://konekto.ru/kak-vosstanovit-kontakty-na-androide.html
- https://androidsfaq.com/kak-vosstanovit-kontaktyi-na-smartfonah-android-posle-udaleniya/
- https://GuruDroid.net/kak-vosstanovit-udalenennye-kontakty-na-androide.html
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From SIM card
It’s easy to restore contacts from your phone; to transfer them from a SIM card on Android you need to open the application:
- "Telephone".
- Select the “Contacts” section.
- In the settings, activate “Import/Export”.
Please note: some Android models have the Phone application already installed, which does not have such a function. You will need to download additional software from the Google Play Services application. It works efficiently and has simple functionality. In the window that appears, you can easily see: “Import from SIM card.” You should copy the contacts from the SIM card. Information can be saved:
- In your Google account (this is the most efficient way to do this).
- To the phone;
- On Google mail.
When saving contacts and phone book in Google, there will be a real opportunity not only to restore it, but to send it to any device or account.
