How to back up contacts to your own Google Drive

Short answer

Before you start

• A Google account, and permission for Applore to add files to your Google Drive.
• Permission for Applore to read your contacts. Android asks the first time.
• Know what the backup includes. Applore’s vCard backup includes each contact’s name, a phone number, email addresses and postal addresses. It does not include contact photos, notes, birthdays or company details. For a complete copy, keep your contacts in your Google account as well.

Without Applore

Keep contacts in your Google account

Contacts saved to your Google account show on your phone after you sign in, so you do not need to restore them from a file.1 To include contacts saved only on the phone or SIM card, open Settings › Google › Settings for Google apps › Google Contacts sync and turn on syncing device and SIM contacts. Menu names vary by phone.2

Export a .vcf file

Open the Contacts app, tap Fix & manage › Export to file, choose one or more accounts and export to a .VCF file.1 You can then upload the file to Google Drive yourself. To restore, open Contacts, tap Fix & manage › Import from file and pick the account to save them to.3

Steps with Applore

Backup and import are free in Applore.

To save the file on your phone instead, choose the backup to phone option and pick a folder. The file is named with “contacts” and the time of the backup.

Restore contacts from your backup

Common problems

Duplicates after importing

Importing adds contacts even if similar ones exist. Choose to skip existing contacts when Applore asks, or merge the duplicates afterwards. Read how to merge duplicate contacts.

Restored contacts are not in my Google account

Applore saves restored contacts on your phone. If you want them in your Google account, move them there in the Contacts app, or import the .vcf file with the Contacts app and choose your Google account.3

My backup does not appear in the list

Check that you signed in with the same Google account. Backups made with Applore Free and Applore Pro are saved in different Drive folders, so each app lists only its own backups. You can still open any backup file from your phone’s Contacts app.

I chose the wrong account

Sign out of Google Drive in Applore’s backup screen, then back up again and choose the right account.

What stays private

The backup file goes from your phone straight to your own Google Drive, through the permission you give. Applore’s servers never receive your contacts. With that permission, Applore can see only the files it created in your Drive. A vCard file is plain text, so anyone who opens it can read your contacts. Keep it in your own storage. Read how backups work in the privacy policy, the overview of data and privacy in Applore, or see Contacts tools in Applore.