How to recover deleted phone book contacts on an Android device

Data loss - what could be worse in our time? Especially when it comes to personal information such as phone numbers stored on a mobile device.

Contacts can be lost by accidentally deleting them, by handing your mobile device into the hands of an untrustworthy person, by breaking or losing it, and in a number of other situations. Fortunately, this problem can almost always be resolved by restoring the data. The main thing is to start restoration immediately, without postponing this matter. The longer you wait, the less chance you have.

If you are wondering how to recover deleted contacts on Android, this article will provide you with the most complete answer. We will figure out what to do after resetting your smartphone to factory settings, if the device is stolen, as well as in other situations due to which you have lost contacts.

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

Question answer

Users are interested in several questions. The main part is addressed to the problems of sudden disappearance of numbers. People are also interested in whether it is possible to restore contacts from a killed (broken) or broken mobile phone. Let's figure it out.

From broken or lost

Here we will have to consider two special cases:

1. The device was flooded with water, hit, drowned or broken. It's faulty, but it turns on. Special software will help. For example, "Dr.fone toolkit". A USB cable is required. You can also restore data from a backup.
2. The phone was stolen or lost. You can restore contacts from a Google account, cloud service or backup.

Set up regular synchronization with different services in advance so as not to lose all data in any event.

Why does the phone book disappear?

In some cases, users note that one or more subscribers have mysteriously disappeared from their smartphone. Sometimes the phone book disappears completely.

Main reasons:

1. Changes in the account with which the phone is synchronized. It was “cleaned up” or removed.
2. There is a malfunction in the SIM, where the smartphone gets its contacts from.
3. Sometimes information disappears after the factory reset procedure.
4. There is a virus on the phone.

Check the display of numbers and entries in the settings. It’s also worth checking the checkboxes in your accounts for synchronization. Most often, everything falls into place when the user changes the specified parameters. To cope with the virus, install a couple of anti-virus applications on your device and thoroughly scan the system.

Why contacts become invisible

This should not be confused with the previous point. Here we are talking about “dropping out” of an entire group of subscribers from the display list. That is, they are on the phone, but are not displayed.

Main reasons:

1. Display settings have been changed. This often happens after changing the SIM. Sometimes it's a system glitch. Try restarting your smartphone. If that doesn't help, check your contact display settings.
2. Some numbers are designated as “hidden”. This occurs among users who save a large number of numbers. Owners create separate groups of subscribers and set the “hidden” option for them, after which they cannot find them. You can help discover invisible contacts using the Hangouts program. It finds both single numbers and groups of numbers.

What to do if duplicates appear

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.

Can't delete some contacts on Android?

2 answers

1. Go to Settings: Applications.
2. Go to ALL TABS.
3. Open: contacts: Clear-data, Clear-Cache, Force-stop.
4. Open: Contacts-Storage: Clear data, Clear cache, Force stop.
5. Go to Settings: Accounts.
6. Open: Google: Select (your) account.
7. Select: Contacts: Enable/Disable (Force Sync)
8. You may have to force sync twice.

Copying a phone book from a SIM card

To move contacts from a SIM card, you need to open the “Phone” application and select the “Contacts” section.

In the settings, select the “Import/Export” function.

Note : some Android devices have a built-in “Phone” application by default, which does not have this function. In this case, you need to download another application from Google Play services.

In the window that opens, find the Import from SIM card function.

Contacts can be saved:

• to Google account (recommended action)
• locally to the phone

By saving contacts in Google, you thereby make a backup copy of the entire list, which can later be edited and transferred to any device linked to your account.

Reasons for disappearing contacts

The most common reason for contacts disappearing is incorrect use of synchronization.

For example, you have two smartphones connected to the same Google account. Synchronization is enabled on both devices. If you delete contacts from one smartphone, they will also disappear on the other after a while, as synchronization will occur.

Other reasons for losing contact records:

• Reset your mobile device to factory settings, deleting all user information.
• Failure due to an operating system error, for example during an update.
• Removal or damage due to malware infection.
• The display settings in the Contacts app are incorrect.

In the first three cases, the recordings may actually be deleted from the device or hopelessly damaged, and you will have to restore them. But before you do that, make sure your Contacts app is showing data from all sources.

How to do it:

1. Open the Contacts app on your smartphone.
2. Call the additional menu and go to the “Contact Management” section.

3. Select the “Account Management” subsection.

4. Make sure Google is listed and contact synchronization is turned on in your account settings.

Also, check other accounts you have, such as WhatsApp and Viber. Synchronization must also be enabled in their settings.

Recovering contacts from Google cloud storage

This data recovery step can be used as a continuation of saving the phone list from the SIM, as well as as a separate procedure.

If you have previously set up synchronization between your device and the cloud (your Google account is also a cloud service). It is possible to return all phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

You must be logged in to your Google account. Select “Contacts” from the list of services.

On the page where the entire list of numbers should be displayed, find the “Settings Menu” and select the “Cancel changes” function.

Next, select a date and time for the rollback.

Remember, you can restore any version of the list within 30 days.

After reverting to your phone book work list in contacts.google, you can export them to a file for later transfer to your phone.

The last steps can be done directly on your smartphone for more convenient transfer of contacts.

Select “Export” and save the file on your phone.

To add a list to your call log, you need to use the Phone application to download the file. See below.

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.

Searching for deleted numbers via instant messengers

If the above methods do not produce results, you can partially pull out phone numbers and instant messengers. As you remember, registration in them occurs through a phone number. This means you can pull up the numbers of those with whom you communicated.

Whatsapp search

It's easy to find a phone number on WhatsApp. Select your interlocutors one by one and select “View contact” in the settings.

All the data they provided, including their phone number, will open in a new window.

With a simple tap, the number is copied to the clipboard and is ready to be inserted into the phone book.

Search in Viber

Finding a number in this messenger is a little more difficult.

Select your interlocutor and select the “Information” section in the drop-down menu.

But when you go there, you won’t find the number there; to do this, you need to select the same interlocutor again and tap on the avatar.

Now the phone number is visible. Copy and paste into the phone book.

Restoring contacts through a mobile operator

You can return your contacts through your mobile provider. Each operator has a function for detailing the expenditure of funds. Using it you can collect phone numbers for any period of time. You can order details in your personal account.

The method works, but is labor-intensive. In fact, they will have to be collected manually and entered into the phone.

The big disadvantage is that the numbers will be anonymous and you will have to call everyone.

In the mobile version, on the contrary, there will be only names without a number.

How to restore contacts after resetting Android

Sometimes it happens that you have to roll back Android to factory settings in order to return the system to its previous performance, speed and cleanliness.

But after the reset, no data remains on the device; everything is deleted. Therefore, before making a reset, you need to make backup copies of the necessary data, including the phone book.

1. Synchronize your device with your Google account and wait for the phone book to be copied.
2. Save phone numbers to a file and transfer it to the cloud or to your computer's hard drive.
3. Use any application to create a backup.

Choose a method that is convenient for you, make a backup and further restoration will take no more than 2 minutes.

Viber contacts

If you use Viber, Whatsapp, then the question of how to recover deleted contacts will not be a big problem for you. True, in the case of using the messenger there are some nuances. For example, there is no way to quickly export contacts. The backup copy of the messenger does not concern the phone book, but you can restore the history of messages and exchanges of information with other numbers, and the subscriber’s phone number is pulled out from this correspondence.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Launch Viber on your phone.
2. Call up the side panel, then click “Settings”.
3. Here we are interested in the “Account” tab.
4. A new window will open, in which there will be a “Backup” button, then click “Restore” and confirm your actions “Restore now”.

This is how a backup copy is loaded from the Internet, namely from Google Drive. You can perform all the steps on your computer if you have the desktop version of the messenger installed on it.

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.

Methods to recover phone numbers

Choose the recovery option that supports your smartphone and the functionality of your mobile operator. Depending on the situation, the techniques are as simple and easy to use as possible, regardless of the operating systems of mobile phones.

Lost phone numbers are restored even from the SIM card or mobile phone itself. The main thing is not to panic, but to immediately begin solving the problem.

Via backup

Advanced users store data on special backup sites. To do this, you can use a personal computer or a virtual floppy disk. One of them is Yandex.Disk.

Restoring contacts in different systems follows the same principle:

• the user logs into the service’s personal profile;
• in the “Services” item, click on “Contact Restore”;
• selects the device from which contacts will be copied;
• if the subscriber does not want to copy data from a SIM card or other device, he disables the SIM card or storage option;
• clicks on the “Restore” function;
• waits for the message “Contacts have been restored”;
• After that, the device begins to restore only those contacts that were not yet on it, after which the data is synchronized automatically.

Via Google

Some phone owners initially do not store the numbers of their interlocutors on their smartphones, using a Google account. These actions save your nerves from unnecessary problems directly related to the restoration of numbers.

Recovery instructions:

• the user opens the “Contacts” section;
• clicks on “Additional actions”;
• clicks on “Restore contacts”;
• indicates the time period during which the contacts were backed up.

Lost data appears in its original place immediately after performing these steps.

The procedure can be easily performed on a personal computer:

• To restore, the user just needs to log in to a special application called “Google Contacts”;
• follow the instructions of the interactive assistant;
• get restored contacts.

Personal account and mobile application

It is possible to restore the list of numbers with contacts directly on the Internet portal of the mobile operator:

• to begin with, the user will have to log in to the “Details” section;
• it indicates the email address to which the list of calls for a specific time period will be redirected;
• You can find the function in the “Help” section.

An alternative is special mobile applications located in the AppStore and GooglePlay.

The operation is carried out as follows:

• recovery goes to the “Finance” section, or something similar in meaning;
• the user indicates the preferred time period for which the detailing will be carried out.

Recovery programs

These are DataDoctorRecovery – SimCard 3/0/1/5/. The indicated programs truly help correct the situation when other methods are ineffective. No less effective Tenorshare Data Recovery utilities,

Easeus MobiSaver and others. The average cost of programs remains at 2800 rubles. Some have a trial version and the ability to restore 10 contacts for free.

Today, the best recovery programs are considered to be:

1. Tenorshare Data Recovery
2. Easeus MobiSaver
3. MiniTool Mobile Recovery
4. Undeleter Pro
5. Dr Fon.

Instructions for restoring contacts in different programs:

• the user installs the program;
• indicates Contact as the connection type;
• selects the Quick Scan scanning method;
• then in the Messages & Call log - Contacts section contacts are shown;
• Next, the user checks the desired set of records and presses the Recover button;
• after a few seconds, the recovered data is displayed in the results folder in the following formats: CSV, HTML and VCF.

Call the operator or contact the office

When contacting your mobile operator specialists, request details of outgoing and incoming calls, indicating the weeks or months for which you need to restore data.

Only numbers will be available, but if desired, the user can call everyone and record contacts again.

Contacting a data recovery specialist

If you compare the method with others, it is the most expensive. It is advisable to initially avoid such cases and contact them only in emergency situations. The minimum cost of the service is 500 rubles.

Recovering contacts on different devices

It’s good if a person is an active user of profiles and data backup services. The latter save contacts on other media on the Internet.

Specialized computer programs have been developed whose purpose is to recover information simultaneously from different drives, including different models of smartphones. Their functionality is publicly available.

On Android

The key condition is that the device must be synchronized with a Google profile. Otherwise, you can use Dr.Fone software, which is freely available.

They recover not only phone numbers, but also videos, photos, music and much more.

Recovery mechanism:

• to perform recovery, the user installs the program;
• connects the Android to the computer using a special cable, having previously enabled the USB debugging option;
• as soon as the device begins the synchronization process with the program, it automatically begins scanning lost information;
• further, the phone screen displays a list of files that were lost;
• the user copies the desired contacts by pressing the “Recover” key.

To protect yourself from losing contacts in the future, the user just needs to install the special “Dumpster” application on their phone. The program issues an ordinary shopping cart just like on a PC, but it was created for mobile phones.

On iPhone

The functionality of the devices allows you to recover lost files in only two ways:

1. Scanning files from an iTunes backup;
2. Data recovery from a special information cloud.

The first method is practically no different from the Dr.Fone utility. When it comes to working with cloud data storage, there are some nuances here.

As soon as a user accidentally deletes an important contact, you must immediately disable the Internet connection or the iCloud option. Otherwise, the device will begin automatic synchronization, which will make the number recovery function in this way unavailable.

Recover from icloud

• The user goes to the official Internet portal of the cloud;
• denotes personal login and password;
• indicates the information that is configured in iPhone on iCloud;
• enters the contact point;
• marks the required numbers;
• selects the “Export vCard” function.

Immediately after completing the indicated actions, the information is exported to a file, which is moved to the boot folder on the personal computer. Next, synchronize your PC and phone, after which all data will be restored in full.

Android Data Recovery

Android File Recovery is one of the effective and useful data recovery programs. You can use this program to scan all your lost or deleted data and selectively select files to recover:-

• messages
• contacts
• photos
• video

everything is supported.

Free trial available here on the forum

Don't add new files to your device or delete unnecessary ones.

Adding or deleting files may overwrite your Android files. Therefore, to prevent your Android backup from being overwritten, stop updating your data.

Download and install Android Data Recovery on your computer. Follow four simple steps.

1. Launch the program on your computer and you will see the following interface. Then connect your Android device to your computer.

2. As shown in the window below, you need to enable USB debugging on your device (you must be in developer mode to enable the feature) for the program to detect it.

3. Now that your device has been detected by Android Data Recovery, select what you want to recover and click “Next” in the window.

4. The program has collected all the deleted phone numbers and offers you to select those that need to be restored. To finish, just click the “Recover” button.

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.