Contacts won't sync from phone to online backup assistant

[swampfox44]

Yes, Verizon employee added through google via bluetooth as he could not get my sim on i880 to open like he was able to do on our other 7 phones.How can i change to sync with Backup assistant?

[Ann154]

Just make everything clear, if you logged into your gmail account through a computer, do you see all the 300+ contacts there that are not syncing with the Backup assistant?

If you can see them there, those contacts are saved on the phone as google contacts and not as phone contacts.

It is possible that backup assistant only works with phone contacts.

As for getting them to work with backup assistant, let me get home to a computer where I can verify the steps before posting here. That is unless someone else writes them first.

The methods I'm thinking of involve exporting contacts from one database (Google) and importing them into another Backup Assistant).

[swampfox44]

   that would be great.   Thanks

[Ann154]

First off I don't have the Droid X  so certain steps will be a little vague.  Hopefully someone who has the phone can fill in those particular details.

This method will export the contacts from Google and import them into Backup Assistant.  I wrote these steps out as I completed the steps myself to work this out.

1. Sign into Gmail through a computer.
2. Click in the square on top of the contacts list to select all the contacts.
3. Click on “More action” and select export.
4. In the new dialog box, make sure “All contacts” and Chose Outlook CSV for the export file type.  Click Export and Save the file to your computer.  Note what you save the file.  You can sign out of Gmail at this point.
5. Now sign into My Verizon.
6. Once you are on the main page select “Contacts”.
7. There should be a button under the “contact cards” called “view contacts”.  Select it.
8. On the right hand side there is a link “Import Contacts”, click that and a dialog box will open.
9. Browse for the file you saved earlier and open it to load.  Select the format as Outlook csv file.
10.   Click import and follow any instruction the import gives you.
11.   Once the contacts are loaded, sync the contacts with your phone.

You will have to turn off the contacts sync for the Google account and turn off the display of the Google contacts in the contacts app.  Otherwise you will have duplicate contacts.  I don’t have the phone myself to be sure of the exact steps for this part of process.

I guess the other way to remove the duplicates would be delete the contacts from Gmail once you are sure the backup assistant is syncing all the contacts.

To be honest I haven’t used the Backup Assistant or gotten into my Contacts listing on My Verizon much since I got my Droid since Backup Assistant isn’t supported.  It has worked out for me to just have all my contacts synced through Google and I have none of the Contacts on the phone alone.

Hope this works for you.

[BigDaddyCmC]

I spoke to a very knowledgable Verizon Wireless Tech Support person today.  Bottom line: Backup Assistance does not work with Droid X at this time.

Best solution: get yourself a gmail e-mail account (if you don't already have one), and set your contacts to sync with that account.  If Verizon ever does fix the BA interface with Droid X, you will simply have 2 backups of your data.  Nothing wrong with that.

Once I switched everything to Google (calendar, e-mail even with a personal domain name, and contacts), I am loving my Droid X.  Working with Outlook and/or a Microsoft Exchange sever was a ridiculously frustrating experience - even when I was using "Touchdown" as the workaround.

Good luck!

[reallyniceguy]

I have the same problem with my droid x. I called and I wasI told by a rep that there is a problem going on with back up assistant. What happened is that it erased my contacts. Luckily I had them saved to SD card. I turned off back up assistant and used gmail to back up. I asked the rep a few times if they are sure and he said yes that he was reading that there is something going on with ack up assistant.

[f38urry]

BigDaddyCmC,

You wrote: "I spoke to a very knowledgable Verizon Wireless Tech Support person today.  Bottom line: Backup Assistance does not work with Droid X at this time."

That is not correct.  Backup Assistant works perfectly on my Droid X and has been since early August.

However, I have been frustrated with Verizon Wireless' inability to make it work with my wife's separate contact list with her Droid 2 for the past several weeks that she's had hers.  In fact, I received a call yesterday from their Network Repair Bureau which has been trying to resolve the problem.  They've phoned my home at least once a week to keep us posted about my NRB ticket.

[Ann154]

I think google is the better way to go with keeping the contacts synced and backed up too. However the OP want the steps to get all the contacts into backup assistant, so I gave them the steps.

I will say again for the OP, that the contacts in google should not be deleted from that account until you are sure Backup Assistant is working properly.

If you want to ensure the contacts that are in backup assistant or just the phone and not saved under google, I would export the non-google contacts into a export file and then import them into the google account. The steps would be similar to the ones outlined above.

I know this is a little backwards from the previous post, but it sounds backup assistant isn't currently working like it should. An alternate method of backing up the contacts is a good insurance policy.

@reallyniceguy
Is there a way to export the contacts to sd card? I know I can do with my Droid Eris but I couldn't see if there was a way in Verizon's support pages for the Droid X or in the user manual? The steps might help the OP.

[Ann154]

I see now as I am re-reading the steps I posted last night that deleted the wrong unnecessary step.
Step 2 should read: Click the Contacts links on the left side to open the contact list.

In step 4, ...make sure "All contacts" is selected...

[PhxMutt]

SO, its taking over a year, and you still havent solved this problem. 

VERIZON, you suk.