Losing or breaking your Android device can mean that you lose all the contacts you had saved in the device. While Android is currently the leading smartphone operating system, one major let down is the fact that it does not come with a native way of backing up data. All data backups can only be done using Google services. For this reason, it is always important for Android users to always find a way of backing up all the important data saved on their Android devices.

One of the most preferred ways of backing up data is through the use of your Gmail account. Once you have backed up all your crucial data to your Gmail account, you will be able to restore it as it was when need arises. With this ability, you will be able to get your information back after you lose it.

Gmail backup contacts – Importing android contacts to Gmail

When you set up your Google account using your Android device, you have to remember to allow your accounts to be set as Google account contacts. This allows the contacts to sync with your Google account.

If you have not synced your contacts with your Google account:

• Go to contacts and go to the menu button.
• Go to import/export.
• Export to SD card and click on ok.

This will export your data to your memory card. After this, you have to delete all your contacts to avoid confusion.

• Go to import/export again and select import from SD card.
• Select save contacts to Google account and not your mobile device.

After a while, the contacts will have successfully been imported to your Google account.

Gmail backup contacts – An alternative method of backing up contacts to Gmail

Importing to your SD card and later transferring to your Gmail account can be a tedious affair for many people, not to mention confusing too. Luckily, there is more than one way of transferring contacts to your Gmail account.

This second process will show you how to easily backup your contacts on Gmail and retrieve them whenever you need to.

To sync your contacts with Gmail:

• Create a Gmail account if you do not have one.
• From your mobile device, go to menu then to settings and then to account and sync.
• Tap on the ‘Google account’ option.
• Check the box under ‘sync contacts’ to have the contacts saved in your Gmail account.

This will take a few minutes to complete. After the process, you can view your account from your Gmail account from the contacts tab on the Gmail logo on the left had side of the web page.